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

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