India subjects foreign airlines to safety standards

A damaged life jacket or a torn seat belt on a foreign airline plane can now cost it its licence to operate in India.

With safety concerns in the skies being its top-most priority,the government has decided for the very first time to watch the operations of foreign carriers landing in and departing from the country.

If deficiencies are found by the flight inspectors during surveillance,and the airlines fail to take corrective action,they stand to lose their authorisation. The inspection will be carried out in the passenger cabin area to check first-aid kit,hand fire extinguishers,emergency exit,lighting and marking,torches,oxygen supply,access to emergency exit and even seat capacity. The safety regulation authority,the Director General of Civil Aviation,can undertake an inspection without prior announcement,if the situation so demands.

The move was necessitated after a boom in domestic and international passenger traffic over the past couple of years congested the Indian skies and raised safety issues. Following international practice,the Director General of Civil Aviation issued a circular to this effect on May 29.

It has been decided that the designated airlines of foreign counties which have been issued the operating authorisation/permit by DGCA shall be subjected to surveillance by inspectors of DGCA in accordance with the procedures, said the DGCA circular. A country is entitled to search and inspect certificates and documents of a foreign aircraft under the globally accepted Convention on International Civil Aviation.

France is one of the European countries which conducts similar checks on all foreign airlines including Air India. The only rider is that the surveillance should not lead to unreasonable delay in the operation of a flight.

For this,as mandated by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO),the DGCA has formulated a programme with procedures for surveillance of operations of a foreign carrier in Indian territory. If deficiencies are found during the inspection,they will be communicated to the foreign airlines regulatory authority. Serious safety deficiencies would require the DGCA to initiate a dialogue with the regulatory authority of the state of the operator,including the operator, the circular said.

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The flight inspectors will have 54 parameters including radio navigation charts,noise certificate,flight crew licence,doors and hatches,wheels,tyres,brakes,fan blades,leakage and safety of cargo on board.

Though all precautions will be taken by the DGCA to avoid flight departure delays due to inspection,doubts regarding correctness of flight preparation,aircraft airworthiness may result in delays.