core sector communique

DGCA Team meets FAA Officials; FAA Expresses full Satisfaction with the DGCA’S Functioning in Regulatory areas Relating to Safety

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), USA had showed their concern based on the media reports in India, on current civil aviation scenario in India and had raised doubt on effectiveness of DGCA’s oversight of the Indian aviation industry. The FAA Flight Standard Office representative wrote to the Director General on their concern and indicated that if it is established that the DGCA oversight has been compromised, then the necessary consultation process has to start in the direction of conducting an ‘International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA)’ of the DGCA by the FAA. The Director General in his detailed response, based on the actual facts, figures and the ‘Annual Surveillance Programme’ of the DGCA (which was forwarded to FAA), allayed the doubts. During this correspondence, it was felt that discussion across the table and presentation of facts/ figures would be really beneficial in the case to eliminate any doubts of FAA on the continuous oversight/ surveillance functions of DGCA. Hence, it was decided to depute a Team of senior officials of DGCA to FAA in the last week of August, 2012. The Team of DGCA officials met the FAA officials and presented the actual facts and figures to them. The Team was accompanied by a senior official from the Indian Embassy in Washington D.C. Subsequent to the presentation and discussion, FAA was convinced that there has been no compromise on DGCA’s function of continuous oversight of the industry. FAA was fully satisfied with the DGCA’s functioning in various regulatory areas relating to safety. It has been categorically stated by FAA that there is no requirement, as of now, to start any consultation process in the direction of conducting a fresh IASA of the DGCA by the FAA. They have also reiterated that India would continue to enjoy the privileges of Category I country.