Indian carriers have started to feel the heat after the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) downgraded the country’s aviation safety rating. A day after India’s airline safety rating was revised below that of Pakistan’s, United and American Airlines suspended their code share agreement with Jet Airways, according to a Bloomberg report. An SMS sent to Jet Airways spokesperson did not elicit any response. The FAA downgrade implies that the civil aviation authorities do not meet the safety guidelines stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation. India’s airline safety is now Category II, at par with countries like Zimbabwe, Paraguay and Indonesia. Pakistan has Category I status. The downgrade, however, does not mean that the airlines of these countries are unsafe but show that the DGCA’s safety oversight may not be enough to properly monitor safety performance of Indian carriers. It also bars Indian carriers from starting new service to the US and opens up their planes for additional inspections in the US. FAA downgraded India after audits held in September and December had raised 31 concerns, two of those concerns are still not resolved. The two issues include full-time flight operation inspectors in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and lack of training to its employees on all types of aircraft being operated in the country. Union civil aviation minister Ajit Singh expressed “disappointment” over the move. “India has started work on hiring more trainers with the Cabinet giving permission for recruitment of 75 more personnel. We will complete the process by March. The FAA has taken the step even as work is in progress and their report is based on an old (till December-end) data,” Singh had said on Friday. Officials did not share any details on the time it would take to get back the category I status, but they said that they will work continuously with the Federal Aviation Authority.
