New Delhi:
A newly set up high-level aviation advisory body is meeting in New Delhi for the first time today and is expected to focus on areas where more attention is required to be paid to strengthen the safety environment.
The Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC), set up by the government a week after the Mangalore air crash that claimed 158 lives, has been tasked to recommend best regulatory practices in air operations and other measures to beef up aviation safety.
The first meeting of CASAC, headed by Director General of Civil Aviation S N A Zaidi, would be inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.
Besides Zaidi, CASAC has 28 members drawn from various aviation sub-sectors like airlines, flight operations, air worthiness and operations.
Representatives from International Civil Aviation Organisation, Federal Aviation Authority of the US, Boeing, Airbus and other organisations are also attending the meeting as special invitees.
The CASAC, constituted for a period of one year, would advise Directorate General of Civil Aviation in areas of commercial and general aviation aircraft operations, heliports and aerodromes, air navigation services, air operator certification, maintenance and airworthiness of aircraft, certification of aeronautical products and human performance and training.
Besides reviewing the existing regulatory framework and giving recommendations to strengthen aviation safety, CASAC would examine and recommend incorporation of best regulatory practices, recommend short, medium and long term measures to enhance safety and reflect public views on aviation safety matters, the spokesperson said.