The FAA
has announced that Ghana does not comply with international
safety standards set by the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO), following a reassessment of its civil aviation
authority.
As a result of Ghana's failure to comply with ICAO standards,
its safety rating was lowered from the highest score of Category 1
to the lowest rating, Category 2. A Category 2 rating means a
country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee
air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or
that its civil aviation authority equivalent to the FAA is
deficient in one or more areas such as technical expertise, trained
personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.
The FAA will remain engaged with the civil aviation authority in
Ghana and will periodically review the situation with the intention
of encouraging improvements that will qualify Ghana for a Category
1 rating.
This announcement is part of the FAA's International Aviation
Safety Assessment (IASA) program, under which the agency assesses
the civil aviation authorities of all countries with air carriers
that operate to the United States and makes that information
available to the public.
The assessments are not
an indication of whether individual foreign carriers are safe or
unsafe. Rather, they determine whether or not foreign civil
aviation authorities (CAA) are meeting ICAO safety standards, not
FAA regulations.
Countries with air carriers that fly to the United States 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.
The FAA, with the cooperation of the host civil aviation
authority, assesses countries with airlines that have operating
rights to or from the United States or have requested such
rights.
Specifically, the FAA determines whether a foreign civil
aviation authority has an adequate infrastructure for international
aviation safety oversight as defined by ICAO standards. The basic
elements that the FAA considers necessary include: 1) laws enabling
the
appropriate government office to adopt regulations necessary to
meet the minimum requirements of ICAO; 2) current regulations that
meet those requirements; 3) procedures to carry out the regulatory
requirements; 4) air carrier certification, routine inspection, and
surveillance programs, and 5) organizational and personnel
resources to implement and enforce the above.
The FAA has established two ratings for the status of these
civil aviation authorities at the time of the assessment:(1) does
comply with ICAO standards,(2) does not comply with ICAO
standards.