On April 8, 2015, in New Delhi, India, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that the Government of India, with the assistance of The Wicks Group, a U.S. based aviation consulting and legal firm, obtained the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating. India was awarded this Category 1 safety rating by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) following an FAA IASA assessment in December 2014, and a subsequent follow-up visit in March 2015.
Under the IASA program, the FAA assesses whether a foreign country’s oversight of its air carriers (that operate, or seek to operate into the U.S. or codeshare with a U.S. air carrier) complies with ICAO international aviation safety standards. The FAA maintains two ratings for the status of a country’s safety oversight compliance. A Category 1 rating means the FAA determines that the country demonstrates that it meets the ICAO standards for each of the critical elements of civil aviation safety oversight. A Category 2 rating is assigned when the FAA determines that the country does not comply with ICAO standards.
This Category 1 status means air carriers in India can now expand their existing service, apply for new service to the U.S., and code-share with U.S. carriers.
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) funded The Wicks Group's assistance to India DGCA in this project. In April 2014, The Wicks Group was selected by the DGCA to be the beneficiary of USTDA funding. The Wicks Group and DGCA began working together in June 2014. The USTDA funding demonstrated the U.S. Government’s commitment to help India successfully achieve the internationally recognized safety standard.
The Category 1 achievement is noteworthy due to the compressed time period in which it was accomplished, and the size and scale of the DGCA organization overseeing an aviation environment as large as the one present in India. This Category 1 announcement demonstrates particularly intensive efforts by both the DGCA and The Wicks Group in helping the DGCA to bring its oversight system into compliance with ICAO standards for each of the critical elements of aviation safety. The Wicks Group undertook a specific work plan designed to address the deficiencies evidenced in the FAA’s 2013 audit of DGCA. This comprehensive work plan addressed:
The Wicks Group consultants have assisted six foreign civil aviation authorities (CAAs) with achieving or maintaining an existing Category 1 rating in the last decade, including four Category 1 achievements in the last three years. The Wicks Group also provides ongoing Category 1 sustainment services to help CAAs ensure they maintain ICAO-compliant policies, procedures, and practices over time. In addition to these services, The Wicks Group regularly assists foreign air carriers with obtaining necessary certifications to operate to the United States.
The FAA press release can be viewed here. For more information about The Wicks Group’s IASA-related services, please contact Glenn Wicks at (202) 457-7790 (Office) or gpwicks@wicks-group.com