Airline safety: India likely to seek more time from US

New Delhi: The civil aviation ministry is expected to ask the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for more time to strengthen safety and oversight standards in Indian airports, after the US regulator raised concerns about the level of compliance with global standards in the country. A team from the FAA is expected to visit India in June for another inspection of the country’s airport facilities, but Indian officials said they would request the Americans to delay the visit by a month.
The Indian civil aviation secretary, M Madhavan Nambiar, and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) head Nasim Zaidi, are in any case expected to brief the US regulator about the measures taken by India to upgrade security and safety standards.
“We would request them to defer their visit and extend it to July as a team of top officials from India is expected to meet them in a week or two,” said a senior government official, who wished not to be named. The official added that all requirements asked by the FAA cannot be met overnight.
The FAA had earlier reviewed India’s compliance with global aviation safety standards and had pointed out several loopholes. Besides questioning flight safety standards, it had also expressed serious concerns over the manpower shortage in key functions such as safety and inspection.
01/06/09 Economic Times

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jun 2009, Safety Jun 2009