- Following a review, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has retained “Category 1” classification for India’s aviation safety oversight.
- The FAA employs the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme to examine if a country’s oversight of its airlines that operate in or seek to operate in the United States or participate into codeshare partnerships is adequate.
What is the IASA Program?
- The International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program is conducted by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
- The programme assesses civil aviation agencies’ safety monitoring in countries throughout the world.
- It examines if a country’s monitoring of its airlines that operate or seek to operate to the United States or enter into codeshare partnerships with U.S. carriers complies with the UN International Civil Aviation Organization’s safety criteria. (ICAO).
- The IASA programme focuses on three primary areas: people licensing, aircraft operation, and aircraft airworthiness.
- Countries are classified as Category 1 if they meet international safety requirements and Category 2 if they do not meet international safety standards.
- The IASA programme lasts one year and includes physical audits as well as a follow-up review.
India’s dedication to aviation safety
- The ICAO and FAA assessments attest to India’s commitment to having an effective safety oversight for its civil aviation sector.
- The ICAO conducted an audit in November 2021, and India received an Effective Implementation (EI) score of 85.65%, an improvement from the previous EI of 69.95%.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-aviation-watchdog-retains-indias-safety-category/article66729928.ece#:~:text=The%20International%20Aviation%20Safety%20Assessment,UN%20aviation%20watchdog%2C%20International%20Civil