The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will be conducting a partial audit in India in February of 2021, with officials having hopes up high to improve the country’s ranking. A government official said the audit, whether its a physical or a virtual one, depends entirely on the COVID-19 situation.
The biggest improvement in India’s rating, the official said, would be on account of licensing of air traffic control officers (ATCO) which was earlier done by the Airports Authority of India. Now, this has been taken over by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Audits are carried out by ICAO to determine the Member States’ safety capabilities and the status of States’ implementation of all safety-relevant standards and recommended practices, associated procedures, guidance material and best safety practices.
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As per information on the organization’s portal, audits are tailored to the level of complexity of aviation activities in the country to be audited. Timing, duration of audits, and size and composition of the audit teams, are determined through a review of the information submitted by the State. Eight audit areas are assessed individually to ensure whether the State has effectively and consistently implemented the critical elements of a safety oversight system. They also determine if the States comply with ICAO’s safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and associated procedures and guidance material. The last such audit conducted in 2017-18 rated India behind other countries in the Indian subcontinent because of the DGCA’s failure to have a system to licence its ATCOs. And now that such concerns have been addressed, the government expects a substantial boost in the country’s ratings.
The official said DGCA has also been recruiting flight operations inspectors and conducting interviews as recruitment is a continuous process. He pointed out that the regulator has been auditing airlines. Moreover, a recent audit found that airlines are not overlooking any major safety aspect.
