FAA Downgrades India’s Aviation Safety Rating

An Air India 747

U.S. regulators downgraded India’s aviation-safety ranking Friday, a move that will crimp plans for India’s airlines to increase service to the U.S.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced the change in the country’s status from Category 1 to a Category 2.  The change will also mean that current flights will face existing checks, according to India’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation.

Two airlines, Air India and Jet Airways, offer service from India to the U.S.

“India’s civil aviation safety oversight regime does not currently comply with the international safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization,” the FAA said in a statement.

The U.S. will, however, continue to work with the DGCA to help it regain Category 1 status. The agency also said that the DGCA had made “significant progress” in addressing issues that were first outlined in September 2013.

A Category 2 rating means one of two things, either that its civil aviation authority is deficient in areas such as technical expertise, trained personnel, or inspection procedures, or that it lacks laws or regulations “necessary to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards.”

(Photo: José Luis Celada Euba)