With the aim of regaining US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) category 1 status, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has started a mandatory recertification process for all Indian air carriers.
First up are Air India and Jet Airways which are the two carriers that currently fly to the US, followed by all domestic airlines in India.
The FAA downgraded India to Category 2 earlier this year which means Indian airlines are not permitted to apply to operate additional new flights to the US or start codeshare agreements with US airlines.
Each carrier must submit all manuals and conduct a ‘proving flight’ to comply with DGCA procedures.
In the last year, DGCA has boosted airline standards primarily to regain category 1 status, and now operates a team of 35 full-time flight operation inspectors.
All carriers will be tested again with the exception of newly inaugurated Air Asia India, which was certified in July using the upgraded DGCA standards.
Aviation authorities from the EU and US have planned audits of India’s air safety standards in November and December.
Aside from the main domestic carrier Indigo, virtually all airlines in India are in the red, due to intense competition, and several are looking to spread their wings overseas on more lucrative routes.
"Indian carriers need to resume long haul flights to US cities and codeshares to be financially viable," noted Rajendra Churiwala, of IATA Agents Association of India.
