Last word
Illustration: Anoop Kamath
INSPIRE THE
DISSUADED BIZAV
IN INDIA
There appears to be a confrontation of sorts building up leaks to the media by the DGCA as an effort to rather unfairly
between the Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) and target business and general aviation aircraft operators and as
the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). A three-year “diversionary tactics to grab undue media attention in order to
old body dedicated to promote business aviation in India, BAOA shift the focus away from their own shortcomings”.
This whole issue has been a cause for consternation and
represents business aircraft and charter operators as also owners of maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities – in fact prac- dismay amongst business aircraft operators as the environment
tically everyone in the Indian aviation industry other than the in which business and general aviation operators in India are
scheduled operators. BAOA has now confronted the DGCA for required to function, is not only unfriendly but extremely hostheir onslaught against business and general aviation operators. tile. The procedure for the issue and renewal of an Air OperaIn January this year, the US Federal Aviation Administration tor Permit (AOP) has been laid down in a document entitled
(FAA) downgraded India’s aviation safety ranking from Category CAP 3100. Revised in August 2013, members of the BAOA find
I to Category II laying bare the gross inadequacy of the DGCA to the process of acquiring an AOP or even its renewal to be an
ensure safe air travel. This, action on the part of the FAA was “extremely frustrating” experience. BAOA is of the view that the
triggered primarily by a shortage of qualified staff for conducting CAP 3100 is in itself questionable and not quite relevant to gensafety and airworthiness checks of Indian carriers. This, however, eral aviation. For a new entrepreneur it may take several years
was not an overnight development as following an inspection a to obtain an AOP and that too after the arrival of the aircraft into
few years ago, the FAA had indeed cautioned the Indian regula- the country. The enormous losses that the prospective operator
tor of the possibility of downgrade if the inadequacies observed suffers on this account is of no concern to the regulator who is
by the former were not addressed expeditiously. The focus of the neither efficient nor accountable. BAOA also believes that CAP
FAA was on the poor safety oversight mechanism that the DGCA 3100 has provided “subjective power in the hands of DGCA offihad in place for the Indian carriers and not on operators in the cials, some of whom are taking undue advantage of it”.
What the government and the DGCA need to appreciate is
business and general aviation segments of the industry. Those
affected most by the downgrade are primarily the full service that business aviation is a vital management tool for the corcarriers such as Air India and Jet Airways who cannot add more porate world and ought not to be perceived merely as personal
flights to the US or enter into code share agreements with inter- indulgence and corporate excess. BAOA has been working on the
national carriers. However, some of the low-cost carriers will also DGCA to restructure the regulatory framework and incorporate
be affected as these have now become eligible to operate in the specific regulations for business and general aviation as well as
international segment. Business and general aviation in India create a roadmap for its growth for the next 10 to 20 years. The
industry is fully prepared to cooperate with DGCA in this effort.
was apparently not in the sights of the FAA.
Tragically, business and
Possibly as a fallout of the
general aviation in India is not
downgrade by the FAA, DGCA
growing as it should, in fact this
appears to have been rather sudsegment of the Indian aviation
denly galvanised into action and
industry has been witnessing
have begun carrying out random
negative growth, the malaise
safety checks on business and
being attributable to an oppresgeneral aviation aircraft as well.
sive policy framework and excesThis action by the DGCA comes
sive control by the government.
at a time when business aircraft
It is high time that DGCA gets its
including helicopters are in great
act together and come formulate
demand countrywide for charter
rules and regulations dedicated
by political parties to ferry their
to business and general avialeaders across the nation on poll
tion. These must be pragmatic,
campaign. In the recent past, the
easy to comply with and inspire
media carried reports of a numgrowth of the industry instead of
ber of cases of business aircraft
proving to be a harassment for
that were inspected by the DGCA
the operators and detrimental to
and found to be non-compliant
aviation in general. SP
with the regulations pertaining to
Regulations must inspire growth of the
the stipulated minimum levels of
industry instead of being detrimental to the
safety requirements. The BAOA
—By Air Marshal (Retd)
interests of aviation in general.
views the initiative at selective
B.K. Pandey
44
ISSUE 5 • 2014
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