Indian aviation sector expects a great score this year following its air safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), calling it its “best to date.
Indian aviation sector
“ The safety inspections come in a year that has seen several incidents, prompting the regulator to take several safety measures. A good score will be beneficial for Indian carriers for their offshore plans.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has completed its safety and oversight audit of India’s aviation sector, and initial reports suggest that the country’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is expecting a great score. The United Nations (UN) body performed the audit from Nov 9th to 16th.
While there’s still time before International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) releases its final report, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) states that it all went very well and is hopeful of a massive increase in its score. It released a report that told,
“As per the initial reports, the Mission was highly successful. India has done quite well and our scores will see a substantial improvement putting us in the company of nations with the best safety standards and oversight systems.”
“While the formal communication from International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)will be received in due course of time, it is to be noted that this is India’s best performance to date.”
What does International Civil Aviation Organisation audit?
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) checks the aviation safety and aviation security oversight capacities of its member states at regular intervals.
The Indian audit was performed under its Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP), covering the legislation, organization, personnel licensing, operations, airworthiness and aerodromes, and other capacities which State governments establish to implement ICAO’s Standards effectively and Recommended Practices (SARPs) in each area.
These safety checks are considered crucial for Indian airlines as scores can impact their international expansion plans.
This was the 1st audit performed after the COVID pandemic. Before this, ICAO visited India in November 2017, with another team visiting in February 2018. Back then, India’s score had declined from 65.82% to 57.44%.
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Directorate General of Civil Aviation
The timing of this audit is also critical, with India witnessing several air incidents and passenger complaints this year. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been keeping quite busy all through 2022, performing clean-up drives, giving warnings, and performing regular and sporadic checks on aircraft of multiple airlines.
In September, it declared a two-month special audit of all Indian airlines to check everything, from the availability of trained, experienced, and authorized staff to the maintenance record-keeping of all aircraft.
It also brought back mandatory breath analyzer tests for all flight crew and has been monitoring gaps in the operations of many airlines, including SpiceJet and, more recently, Go First. The regulator plans to increase its workforce by more than 400 employees to monitor the country’s growing fleet size.
While there’s still time before ICAO makes its results public, the DGCA’s reaction suggests that it has been able to satisfy the UN body with its efforts this year.
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Source: Simple Flying
