Description
GS PAPER II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Context: The United Nation’s aviation safety watchdog, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), is expected to conduct a safety audit of the Indian aviation sector ‘in a few months’.
- The audit was scheduled for June, but we sought postponement due to the severity of the second wave of COVID-19.
ICAO:
- The ICAO audits the aviation safety and aviation security oversight capacities of its 193 Member-States.
- These cover legislation, resources and other capacities, which State governments establish to effectively implement the ICAO’s Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs).
- There are eight audit areas, which include aircraft operations, airworthiness of civil aircraft, aerodromes, air navigation services and accident and serious incident investigations, among others.
- The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a specialized and funding agency of the United Nations.
- It changes the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.
- Its headquarters is located in the Canada.
- It adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, its infrastructure, flight inspection, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation.
- ICAO defines the protocols for air accident investigation that are followed by transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.
- The Air Navigation Commission (ANC) is the technical body within ICAO.
- India is a founding member of ICAO.
2018 audit
- The ICAO had carried out the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme for India in February 2018.
- The audit result showed that the country’s score declined to 57.44% from 65.82% earlier, placing India below Pakistan, Nepal and many other nations.
Corrective steps taken by the Civil Aviation Ministry
- The Aircraft (Amendment) Act, 2020, gaves statutory powers to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
- It implements the ICAO’s recommendation to make the DGCA the licensing authority for Air Traffic Control Officers.
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/un-bodys-audit-of-indian-aviation-sector-delayed/article34981905.ece?homepage=true
