Experts express concern over India’s air safety downgrade

Raising the issue of downgrading of India’s air safety, several members of the Airport Authority of India Retired Officers Forum (AAIROF) have expressed concern over the issue. The focus of their discussion was the downgrading of air safety to category 2  from category 1 early this year based on US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), preventing Indian carriers from expanding operations to the US, partnering American airlines or using planes other than those they are now flying.

‘This is for the first time India’s safety has been downgraded, some of the issues raised by FAA on safety of passengers still remain unresolved, the downgrade has happened despite India having a record of successfully developing world class international airports in various countries including Libya, Afghanistan and Nauru,’ said SS Sidhu former secretary general, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) while speaking at the memorial lecture organised by AAIROF in the capital on Saturday evening. Airport Authority of India (AAI) chairman S Raheja, and VP Aggarwal, president AAIROF were also present at the event.

‘The move also leaves the Indian regulator — the Directorate General of Civil Aviation or — open to the accusation that it’s being remiss in ensuring the safety of passengers and didn’t do enough to avoid relegation. India now becomes one of 13 countries that are rated category 2 by the US. Bangladesh and Indonesia are also among them,’ he added.

Echoing similar sentiments, former chairman of International Airport Authority of India BS Das said, ‘The grade means the US regards India as not being compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety standards. To get around the restriction, Indian carriers will need to lease aircraft and crew from a duly authorised and properly supervised US or foreign carrier from a category 1 country.’