The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on April 12, 2023, that India will retain its Category 1 rating pursuant to its most recent performance on an audit under the FAA’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program. India was last assessed in July 2018. Between 2014 and 2018, The Wicks Group (TWG) worked extensively with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to make numerous changes that enabled India to demonstrate a robust aviation regulatory system. This resulted in an upgrade of India to IASA Category 1 following a 2015 IASA audit and India’s retention of a Category 1 rating following the 2018 FAA audit. Given our years of consultation with India’s DGCA, TWG is proud to see Indian aviation’s continued growth and commitment to maintaining excellence in aviation safety. We congratulate India on once again achieving a Category 1 rating.
A Category 1 rating from the FAA is an important step in maintaining connectivity with the US and strengthening a country’s position in the international aviation industry. Under its IASA program, the FAA conducts regular audits of civil aviation authorities to assess whether a country’s aviation regulatory system meets, or continues to meet, the international standards established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to implement the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Retaining a Category 1 designation allows Indian airlines continued flexibility in their flight operations to the United States and codeshares with US airlines during a time of high growth for Indian aviation.
Established in 1999 and based in Washington, DC, The Wicks Group has decades of experience in providing technical assistance to civil aviation authorities (CAAs) worldwide, including but not limited to the CAAs of Angola, Bahrain, India, Panama, Guatemala, Cabo Verde, Rwanda, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Japan, China, Singapore, and Trinidad and Tobago. TWG’s completed IASA consulting projects have produced a total of ten FAA Category 1 ratings to date – a 100% track record. TWG also regularly assists foreign air carriers with obtaining the US government approvals needed for US air carrier operations and consults with foreign repair stations on securing FAA certification required to maintain US-registered aircraft.
For more information about The Wicks Group, please contact Glenn Wicks at gpwicks@wicks-group.com.