<div><div>The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has upgraded India's aviation safety rating, in a boost for Indian airlines which can now increase the number of flights they operate to the United States.</div><div> </div><div>US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement on Wednesday that India had taken corrective action to address the FAA's concerns after the aviation regulator downgraded India's rating to category 2 from category 1 in January last year, citing a lack of safety oversight.</div><div> </div><div>The decision, which takes the rating back to category 1, was not unexpected as India's aviation authorities have said they were working hard to win back the higher rating.</div><div> </div><div>The upgraded rating is expected to help Jet Airways and state-owned Air India, the two Indian airlines which currently fly to the United States. The downgrade had meant both carriers could not increase flights to the United States and faced extra checks for existing ones.</div><div> </div><div>"The United States Government commends the Government of India for taking corrective action to address the safety oversight issues identified during the IASA (International Aviation Safety Assessment) process," Foxx said in the statement.</div><div> </div><div>The move comes amid heightened recent scrutiny on aviation safety in Asia. South Korea, Japan and China last month stopped Thailand-based airlines from flying charters and new routes because of safety concerns highlighted by an international audit. The restrictions, though, have been selectively relaxed.</div><div> </div></div><div><strong><span style="line-height: 15.3999996185303px;">Strengthening Aviation Security</span></strong></div><div><div>The Indian government is in the process of hiring more personnel to strengthen civil aviation security in view of increased threat perception and rising untoward incidents globally.</div><div> </div><div>The proposal to ramp up manpower at the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), the nodal security agency for the civil aviation sector, also comes at a time when carriers are expanding their fleet to meet rising passenger traffic.</div><div> </div><div>Acknowledging that BCAS is "badly understaffed" and has constraints in carrying out its functions, Civil Aviation Secretary V. Somasundaran said on Tuesday there is a proposal to increase head count at the security agency.</div><div> </div><div>"It (BCAS) is badly understaffed. There is a proposal to increase the manpower," he said at a function to mark the 28th anniversary of BCAS.</div><div> </div><div>The agency's responsibilities are increasing in the wake of rise in both passenger and cargo traffic.</div><div> </div><div>"Fifteen new airports are expected to come up in the next two to four years. Also, passenger traffic has shown healthy growth in the last one to one-and-a-half years," Somasundaran said.</div><div> </div><div>He said that civil aviation security is a critical issues, especially since the country has porous borders, and also referred to a recent incident at the Mumbai airport where a passenger jumped out of an aircraft after landing.</div><div> </div><div>Citing the daily reports provided by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Somasundaran said there are "several problem areas" in respect to security.</div><div> </div><div>CISF looks after security at over 55 airports.</div><div> </div><div><div>Speaking on the occasion, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said internal and external security angles have to be addressed to achieve a foolproof safety for fliers and aircraft.</div><div> </div><div>"We have managed to get an impression that Indian skies are relatively safe," he said, lauding the role of BCAS in this regard.</div><div> </div><div>However, threat can come from anywhere and the security policy should be one stop ahead of a criminal mind, he said.</div><div> </div><div>The minister stressed that security measures should be meaningful without obstructing economic activities as growth in civil aviation sector has a direct impact on the economic growth of the country.</div></div><div> </div><div>(Agencies)</div></div>
