India restores safe reputation with U.S.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced Wednesday that India again complies with international safety standards. The move would free allow airlines from that country to add new flights to the United States, if they wish to do so.

The Federal Aviation Administration had demoted India's safety status in January 2014 because of unstated deficiencies in areas such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping or inspection procedures.

But the country hired 75 full-time inspectors that month as part of a broad safety push. India has now returned to standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, Foxx said.

"U.S. and Indian aviation officials have an important, cooperative working relationship," Foxx said during a meeting in New Delhi with India's Minister of Civil Aviation, Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

FAA's Category 1 rating means that the country's civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. Regaining the status permits India's airlines to add flights to the United States using their own aircraft and carry the code of U.S. carriers on their operations. The later is known as "codesharing" in the aviation industry.

"Our countries will continue to work together to meet the challenges of ensuring safety in international civil aviation," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.

India first achieved a Category 1 rating in August 1997. But a December 2012 FAA audit identified some deficiencies from the global standards for oversight of aviation safety which led to a Category 2 designation.

At the time, Air India had about 90 flights per month from India to the United States.