The Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) does not comply with international safety standards, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says, and as a result, the FAA has downgraded the OECS safety rating.
The Category 2 rating from the FAA International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program means that the “laws or regulations lack the necessary requirements to oversee air carriers in accordance with minimum international standards or that civil aviation authorities are deficient in one or more areas, including technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping, inspection procedures or resolution of safety concerns,” the FAA said Friday.
The Eastern Caribbean Civil Aviation Authority oversees safety for OECS member nations Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The FAA’s IASA program evaluates the civil aviation authorities of countries with air carriers that fly to the United States, that have applied to fly to the United States or that participate in code-sharing agreements with U.S. airlines.
The evaluations are designed to determine whether the aviation authorities comply with standards set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
A Category 2 rating means that carriers under that jurisdiction may continue existing flights to and from U.S. airports but they may not establish new service.
Under a Category 1 rating, which indicates compliance with ICAO standards, air carriers may establish new service to the United States and establish code-sharing agreements with U.S. carriers.