ICAO works with India to upgrade flight safety standards

New Delhi, Oct 4 (PTI) The International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) is working with Indian authorities on four
major projects to upgrade the country's flight safety
standards and bring them at par with global levels.

The development of new systems in major areas of
aerodromes, flight standards and air navigation services are
among several technical projects under way, on which the
Indian civil aviation authorities and ICAO are jointly
working.

The two sides are also conducting a joint feasibility
study on the prospects and the role of a safety regulatory
mechanism by establishing a Civil Aviation Authority, official
sources said here, adding that these four projects have
recently been approved by the government.

With growing air traffic in India, the ICAO has been
pressing the government to take expeditious steps on issues
relating to infrastructure capacity, airline capacity and air
space management in order to enhance safety standards.

On security issues, ICAO has assured that it would
provide technical cooperation in a study for setting up a
separate civil aviation security structure. It also
recommended increasing of coordination between civil and
military authorities in India.
ICAO President Roberto Kobeh Gonzalez, who was here last
week, said despite the recent negative growth in air traffic,
India would soon witness an upswing in it and wanted the
government to address infrastructure and flight safety issues
urgently.

India has ensured compliance with 90 per cent of the
observations made by the ICAO in its 2006 audit and hoped that
the remaining observations would be complied with very soon,
the ICAO Chief said.

He noted India's technical capabilities and stressed the
need for increasing technical cooperation between Indian
authorities and organisations and the global aviation body.

Gonzalez drew the government's attention towards the
importance of civil aviation safety and sought sharing of
information pertaining to safety among nations and regions,
as well as professional bodies.

The ICAO chief also appreciated government efforts for
private sector participation in development of metro and
regional airports. PTI ARC
JVN