The bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA) between India and the US has been signed on Monday. It is a move to open up a huge market for export of aeronautical products manufactured in India to the US. The two nations on Monday signed the BASA which coincides with the visit of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton to India.

BASA will facilitate reciprocal airworthiness certification of civil aeronautical products imported/exported between the two signatory authorities. Indian standards would be comparable to global standards and its aeronautical products would be accepted by the US.

The agreement will provide a boost to the nascent aircraft manufacturing industry in India and it would be hugely benefited. The effort is also to spur trade between the two sides. It would demonstrate that India has the capability to develop FAA certifiable aircraft articles/appliances. It would encourage the civil aeronautical products industry which will eventually lead to self sufficiency in the sector.

BASA would encourage indigenous aircraft and aeronautical products industry and the US acceptance of Indian products will help their global acceptance. It would lessen the economic burden imposed on the aviation industry and operators by redundant technical inspections, evaluations and testing.

BASA was signed by Nasim Zaidi, secretary, civil aviation and J Randolph Babbitt, administrator, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  The signing took place in the presence of senior officers from the ministry, director general of civil aviation, Airport Authority of India from the Indian side and Federal Aviation Administration and US Trade and Development Agency from the US side.  

The next stage is to sign the Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness (IPA) which provides for airworthiness technical cooperation between FAA and its counterpart civil aviation authorities. The scope of IPA can be enhanced from time to time. The US has signed BASA with 24 countries.