No move by FAA to downgrade India's airports: MoCA sources

According to a PTI report, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not made any move to downgrade India's airports, even though an action plan was being implemented to meet global aviation safety standards and regulations. Certain sources from Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) stated, “The FAA has not reached any decision to downgrade India to Category-two countries (in terms of global standards). We are continuing our discussions as part of the agreement between India and the United States for development and modernisation of our civil aviation infrastructure.”

The agreement, signed in November 2006, entailed that experts from both sides would work together on issues ranging from Air Traffic Control (ATC) training and procedures to aviation safety standards and regulations. The agreement had come at a time when India became second after China in terms of the fast-paced aviation traffic growth, which was projected to maintain the pace of more than 25 per cent over the next four years. The massive growth in air traffic, both in passenger and aircraft numbers, had far outpaced the aviation infrastructure and skilled manpower availability,