DGCA refutes SpiceJet's claims of receiving high rating from UN agency ICAO

The Indian budget airline claimed the audit of SpiceJet safety systems helped India achieve its highest-ever safety ranking in the ICAO audit.

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Auditing an airline is a state regulator's job, said a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official after operator SpiceJet recently claimed it's being audited by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). A senior DGCA official said that auditing private airlines are the task of DGCA and the visit by ICAO was "not for audits or inspections". Earlier on December 5, SpiceJet released a statement saying it was the only scheduled Indian airline part of the audit conducted by ICAO under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach.

The airline claimed the audit of SpiceJet safety systems helped India achieve its highest-ever safety ranking in the ICAO audit. In the recent International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) report, India, SpiceJet, said, has been ranked 48th among the top 50 countries of the world in terms of comprehensive safety audits conducted.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had last month audited the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to check its effective implementation (El) of critical safety elements. Under the International Civil Aviation Organisation, Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach, an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) was undertaken from November 9-16, 2022.

The Indian aviation safety has scored the highest ever El score of 85.49 percent which puts India in the 48th spot. In 2018, India scored 69.95 percent at the 102nd rank. The DGCA official said that India has performed better than China which stands in 49th rank in the audit. Israel has been ranked 50th.

The audit was conducted in the areas of - Legislation, Organization, Personal Licensing, Operations, Airworthiness, and Aerodromes. Teams from the UN agency went to Delhi Airport; IGI Airport air traffic control; Airport Authority of India's communication, navigation and surveillance (CNS) wing.

ICAO's Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) focuses on a State's capability in providing safety oversight by assessing whether the State has implemented the critical elements (CEs) of a safety oversight system effectively and consistently. This enables the State to ensure the implementation of ICAO's safety-related Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and associated procedures and guidance material.

In addition, it provides ICAO with a means to monitor continuously the States' fulfillment of their safety oversight obligations. Meanwhile, the Indian civil aviation sector is recovering after being severely impacted by Covid-19. It is regaining momentum.