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A
Category 2 International
Aviation Safety Assessment
(IASA) rating means the
country either lacks laws
or regulations necessary
to oversee air carriers in
accordance with minimum
international standards. /
Juan Santamaría
International airport
courtesy
photo.
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Government
works with U.S. Federal
Aviation to increase airport
rating
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By the
A.M. Costa Rica staff
The General Directorate of Civil
Aviation announced that it
guarantees that flight
operations in the country are
safe. That claim is supported by
the U.S. Federal Aviation
Administration after the
downgrade in the country's
rating as a result of the last
audit conducted at the end of
2018 and the beginning of 2019.
According to the Directorate of
Aviation, the reduction in the
category does not affect the
airlines that enter the country
and that international airlines
continue to increase their
flight frequencies so any impact
on the tourism sector is ruled
out.
Only future operations of
national flag airlines that
would like to open flights to
the United States would only be
affected by this qualification.
"After knowing the reduction in
the security rating, we have
restarted the work that had been
developing since last October
with the American authorities to
recover the qualification,
coordinating with the U.S.
Embassy and the FAA," said
Guillermo Hoppe, general
director of Civil Aviation.
According to Hoppe, aviation
security in Costa Rica is a
priority and as a member of the
International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), all
established regulations will be
respected and processes will be
accelerated to recover the
category as soon as possible.
"The process of publication and
implementation of the amendments
generated by ICAO requires
compliance with the process
established by the country's
legislation, which limits its
immediate application and this
causes a delay in the
acceptance, publication, and
implementation of said
amendments," Hoppe said.
In response to the FAA's
observations, a corrective
action plan with compliance
dates was presented.
According to the Directorate of
Aviation of Costa Rica, ICAO, in
the last qualification made to
Costa Rica in 2017, a score
higher than 9 was obtained, on a
scale of 10.
The United States, for its part,
using its sovereign power,
decided to examine the ability
of Costa Rica to follow and
implement the regulations
concerning international civil
aviation dictated by ICAO.
Specifically, the FAA determines
if Costa Rica has the
appropriate international
aviation safety oversight
infrastructure as defined by
ICAO standards.
According to the Aviation
Directorate, they are working so
that factors such as
Legislation, Regulation,
Organization, Personnel
Training, Guides and Manuals,
Certification and Issuance of
Licenses, Surveillance, and
Sanctions, among others, are
again analyzed by the FAA to
achieve Retrieve the # 1 rating
on security.
As A.M. Costa Rica reported
yesterday, May 15th, the U.S.
Department of Transportation’s
Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) announced that Costa Rica
does not comply with
International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) safety
standards and has been assigned
a Category 2 rating based on a
reassessment of the country’s
civil aviation authority.
A Category 2 International
Aviation Safety Assessment
(IASA) rating means the country
either lacks laws or regulations
necessary to oversee air
carriers in accordance with
minimum international standards,
or its civil aviation authority
– a body equivalent to the FAA
for aviation safety matters – is
deficient in one or more areas,
such as technical expertise,
trained personnel,
record-keeping, or inspection
procedures.
With a Category 2 rating, Costa
Rica’s carriers can continue
existing service to the United
States. They will not be allowed
to establish new service to the
United States.
In 1996, Costa Rica was assigned
an initial Category 1 rating,
meaning the country’s Direccion
General de Aviacion Civil (DGAC)
complied with ICAO standards for
aviation safety oversight. The
FAA conducted an in-country
reassessment of Costa Rica under
the IASA program in October
2018, and met with the DGAC in
February 2019 to discuss the
results.
As part of the FAA’s IASA
program, the agency assesses the
civil aviation authorities of
all countries with air carriers
that have applied to fly to the
United States, currently conduct
operations to the United States,
or participate in code-sharing
arrangements with U.S. partner
airlines, and makes that
information available to the
public.
The assessments determine
whether or not foreign civil
aviation authorities are meeting
ICAO safety standards, not FAA
regulations.
A Category 1 rating means the
country’s civil aviation
authority complies with ICAO
standards. With an IASA Category
1 rating, a country’s air
carriers can establish service
to the United States and carry
the code of U.S. carriers.
In order to maintain a Category
1 rating, a country must adhere
to the safety standards of ICAO,
the United Nations’ technical
agency for aviation that
establishes international
standards and recommended
practices for aircraft
operations and maintenance.
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Do you think that airports in
Costa Rica are unsafe? We
would like to know your
thoughts on this
story. Send your
comments to: news@amcostarica.com
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