US Aviation Authority Likely to Audit DGCA Again

The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) plans to conduct another audit of the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) soon to assess the progress made on changes in procedures identified during the previous audit in October of last year.  They had offered some findings on processes in the last audit. “All of those issues have been addressed, and the FAA will conduct another audit,” a government official who did not like to be revealed said. During their October audit, a five-member FAA team examined safety guidelines, including personnel licensing and airworthiness. The findings focused primarily on the procedures followed by the country’s aviation regulator. If the FAA is agreeable with the adjustments made by the DGCA, India’s aviation sector will retain its category I status. Any discontent would result in the sector being downgraded, which would involve increased surveillance of Indian airlines going to the United States. Officials say they’re hoping to keep their category I status, and that most of the procedures have been followed. In January 2014, the US agency demoted India’s safety supervision capabilities to Category II due to two major concerns: officials’ lack of training and the DGCA’s lack of full-time flight operations inspectors.