Air safety treaty with US will open global skies for Indian aviation firms

Mahindra Aerospace, Tata, Hero group, Hindustan Aeronautics and other Indian companies making aviation products will soon be able to sell them in the global market.

This will become possible once India and the US ink the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA). The agreement is expected to be signed during the visit of a senior Obama Administration official next fortnight.

Big opportunity

“The certification given by the aviation watchdog, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, will be accepted globally after the agreement is signed. This opens huge opportunities not only for Indian companies but also US companies wanting to set up shop here,” a senior Government official said.

Currently, Hindustan Aeronautics produces doors for the Airbus A-320 aircraft, while Mahindra Aerospace and Hero Group have shown an interest in producing small aircraft.

Mahindra Aerospace, which has been developing five- and eight-seat aircraft at its Bangalore facility, expects to do a launch later this year after getting certification for airworthiness standards.

In addition, National Aerospace Lab (NAL) is working on a 14-seater passenger aircraft called Saras.