In a recent communication to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), USA’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has informed that India’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) category will continue to be published as Category 1.Based on the positive outcomes of the assessment and follow-ups, the FAA informed DGCA on April 12, 2023 that India meets the international standards for aviation safety oversight of the Chicago Convention and its Annexes and continues to retain FAA IASA Category 1 status which was the last assessed in July 2018.
The FAA has also appreciated the DGCA stating that it has demonstrated a commitment to ensuring the effective safety oversight of India’s aviation system.
Further, it also stated that the air carriers of Category 1 countries are permitted to operate/ expand their services to destinations in the USA and codeshare with US air carriers.
Six serious runway incursions since January prompted the agency to convene a safety summit earlier this month. The FAA said last week that it was taking steps to improve its air traffic control operations.
According to the Civil Aviation Ministry’s official statement, India’s Category 1 determination has come at a time when Indian aviation is on a high growth trajectory and air carriers in India have major capacity induction and expansion plans.India, in the recent ICAO audit in November 2022 has scored an Effective Implementation (EI) of 85.65 per cent from the previous EI of 69.95 percent thereby enhancing its global ranking significantly.
The IASA programme assesses a country’s oversight of its air carriers operating or seeking to operate in the US or code sharing with US air carriers, to ensure compliance with safety standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
“The assessment by ICAO as well as FAA is a testimony to India’s commitment to having an effective safety oversight for its civil aviation system,” the ministry said.
