DGCA inks safety pact with US aviation authority

USTDA would partially fund assistance to tune of $808,327

The United States Technical Development Agency (USTDA) on Tuesday entered into an agreement with Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to provide funds for bringing in more systemic improvements in aviation safety in the country.

The funds from USTDA would be for India Aviation Safety Technical Assistance Phase II. The USTDA would partially fund the “assistance to the tune of $808,327 and contractor The Wicks Group (TWG) would share the cost of assistance at $75,000, while the government would pitch in with $446,866”.

The government’s contribution includes “in-kind cost share, valued at $196,866 for international round trip air travel on Indian air carriers between the US and India, and in-country ground transportation for the contractor during the duration of the assistance”. It would also cover the cash cost share of $2.5 lakh.

The US Federal Aviation Administration restored the Category 1 status for India in April 2015.  The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had raised certain safety concerns about Indian aviation in its 2012 audit. Following this, the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) carried out an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) audit in September 2013, and a review in December 2013. India was then assigned Category 2 rating in January 2014.

In March 2014, USTDA in coordination with  FAA approached DGCA and offered assistance under a USTDA Grant Agreement project to address the FAA IASA findings, and help restore Category 1 status to India.

The grant agreement
Under the Grant Agreement, US-based Contractor ‘The Wicks Group’ (TWG) assisted DGCA in addressing the findings and prepared for a reassessment by FAA in December 2014.
Based on this reassessment and a follow-up visit in March 2015, India’s Category 1 status was restored.