The US Federal Aviation Administration will audit India’s aviation safety oversight standards from November 16 to 20, examining aircraft operations, airworthiness and personnel licensing at a time when the country’s aviation market is expanding and safety scrutiny remains high.
The audit will be conducted under the FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment programme, which evaluates whether a country’s oversight of airlines operating, or seeking to operate, services to the United States complies with safety standards and recommended practices established by the International Civil Aviation Organization.
India currently holds Category 1 status under the programme. The rating indicates that the country’s aviation safety oversight meets international standards and is important for Indian airlines operating or seeking to operate flights to the United States. Air India is currently the only Indian carrier operating direct flights to US cities, according to the report.
The assessment will focus mainly on three areas: aircraft operations, airworthiness and personnel licensing. These areas cover the regulator’s oversight of how aircraft are operated, how their safety and technical condition are monitored, and how aviation personnel are licensed.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation was subject to the FAA’s previous audit from October 25 to 29, 2021. That assessment covered the same broad areas of aircraft operations, airworthiness and personnel licensing. Final consultations followed on April 25 and 26 of the subsequent year, while the FAA conducted further reviews in July and September 2022. The outcome of that process was announced in April 2023, when India retained its Category 1 status.
The latest audit comes after a difficult period for aviation safety in India. The country witnessed one of its worst aircraft accidents last year when an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. The report also noted helicopter accidents and other incidents during the current year.
India’s Category 1 status has previously faced a serious setback. The FAA downgraded the country to Category 2 in January 2014 after concerns were raised about the DGCA’s safety oversight capability. The rating was restored in 2015 after the regulator took corrective steps.
The earlier downgrade followed an International Civil Aviation Organization audit of the DGCA in December 2012, which identified two Significant Safety Concerns in the areas of operations and airworthiness. The concerns were resolved and validated by ICAO in August 2013. The FAA subsequently conducted its own assessment in September 2013, followed by a review in December of that year, before assigning Category 2 status.
The five-day audit will therefore assess not only individual aviation functions but also the effectiveness of India’s regulatory oversight system. Its findings will determine whether the country continues to meet the requirements associated with the FAA’s Category 1 classification. The FAA team is scheduled to conduct the assessment from November 16 to 20.
