ICAO Aviation Safety Ranking: India’s Global Ranking Increases from 102 to 48, Surpasses China & Denmark 

According to the latest aviation safety ranking released by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), India’s ranking has risen to 48th, up from 102nd in 2018. The ranking, which also ranks India ahead of China (49), is the best ever obtained by India.

• India and Georgia are in 48th position, each with a score of 85.49 %.

With this, India has moved into the top 50 countries in terms of comprehensive safety audits, and the significant breakthrough will aid domestic airlines in their international expansion.

Top 3 Countries in The ICAO Aviation Safety Ranking

Background  

The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), underwent an audit by the ICAO in November 2022 to examine its effective implementation (EI) of critical safety components.

• An ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) was conducted from November 9 to 16, 2022, as part of the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach.

ICAO Ranking: Significance  

• The rankings cover 187 countries, and assessments were conducted at various intervals in time.
• The ICAO examines eight crucial components of the safety oversight system, which includes: primary aviation legislation, specific operating regulations, resolution of safety issues and surveillance obligations.

Key Points:

i.Other countries in the top ten are France (4th; 96.42 %), Iceland (5th; 95.73 %), Australia (6th; 95.04 %), Canada (7th; 94.95 %), Brazil (8th; 94.72 %), Ireland (9th; 94.6 %) and Chile (10th; 93.9 %).

• The United States (US) was ranked 22nd, while Qatar was ranked 25th.
• Pakistan has a score of 70.39 %.

ii.According to DGCA, the audit was carried out in India in the areas of legislation, organization, personal licencing, operations, airworthiness, and aerodromes.

iii.India now ranks above China (49), Israel (50), Turkey (54), Denmark (55) and Poland (60), in terms of effective implementation of key safety elements, with a score of 85.49%.

iv.India’s score for civil aviation organisation increased from 63.64% to 72.73%.

• It also saw increases in personnel licencing and training from 25.58% to 84.71%; aircraft operations from 80.34% to 97.44%; aircraft airworthiness from 90.20% to 97.06%; and aerodrome and ground aids from 72.36% to 92.68%.
• The two areas that were not audited retained their 2018 scores: aviation accident and investigation (64.56%) and ANS (72.73%).

Note: India received a score of 69.95% in the 2018 USOAP.

Recent Related News:

In October 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) adopted a long term aspirational goal of making carbon emissions from air travel net zero by 2050 in response to growing pressure for airlines to reduce their pollution in Montreal, Canada.

About the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO):

The ICAO is a United Nations (UN) specialized agency, established to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention).

Secretary General – Juan Carlos Salazar
Establishment – 1944
Headquarters – Montreal, Canada