Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has upgraded India's aviation safety rating, paving the way for the domestic airlines to expand in the US skies.
The US regulator had downgraded India`s aviation safety rating in early 2014, citing a lack of safety oversight.
The downgrade meant Indian carriers could not increase flights to the United States and face extra checks for existing ones.
FAA conducts the International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (IASA) to assess the civil aviation authorities of each country that has carriers operating to the US.
As per the FAA’s IASA Program of November 22 2013, the countries in Category II include Bangladesh, Barbados, Indonesia, Ghana, Serbia and the Philippines.
The FAA has only two categories and Category II means the aviation safety records of these countries “do not meet ICAO standards”. Pakistan is placed in Category I.
With Agency Inputs
