The Hindu Business Line : Indo-US bilateral pact on aircraft certification delayed

AN Indo-US aviation agreement proposed between their civil aviation agencies and related to satellite navigation and cross-certification of each other's civil aircraft, among others, has not come through with the two others signed on Thursday. The pact has been procedurally delayed at the Indian end.

This pact would facilitate US training of domestic agencies to the US Federal Aviation Authority's prescriptions; cross-certification of HAL's light helicopter Dhruv for possible export to the US; technology co-operation, training of personnel; technical assistance and exchanges, according to the US officials, who were in the city on Friday.

It would have been part of the package of bilateral agreements that the visiting US Transportation Secretary, Mr Norman Y. Mineta, signed in Delhi.

HAL, for one, is offering its indigenous Dhruv to the US Customs. But such a sale cannot come through without the planned agreement, according to the US FAA Assistant Administrator for International Aviation, Mr Douglas E. Lavin.

Mr Mineta told reporters during an official engagement that the US side was keen on the agreement, had worked on it for months and was ready this week to sign the bilateral pact between FAA and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The draft pact has to go through the Union Cabinet.

At an interaction organised by the American Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Mr Mineta appreciated Indian expertise in rail transport and initiatives in public-private partnerships in infrastructure development.

According to him, the US consulates in the country are apparently "overwhelmed" by the number of visa applications pouring in from Indians. Some 4-5 lakh requests have been made this year compared to 55,000 last year.

The US Secretary, leading an official delegation on a two-day visit to the city, said security was not an issue as much as the ability to process these applications was, after the US passed a law requiring face-to-face interviews with applicants. The visa process was being speeded up with improved infrastructure and human resources: the Chennai consulate alone, for instance, which processes the largest number of requests, was adding three more additions to its 20 visa-related staff by the end of this year.

During the day, Mr Mineta visited ISRO, the Jack Welch Centre, and met the Industry Minister, Mr P.G.R. Sindhia, among others.

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