INDIA US to sign BILATERAL AGREEMENT.

India and the US are set to sign a bilateral aviation safety agreement (BASA) during US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton's visit next week, an official said on Thursday."BASA has been approved by the cabinet and will be signed during the visit of Hilary Clinton, the US secretary of state," said Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi on the sidelines of an event here.

According to the ministry, the proposed agreement will open up a huge market for export of aeronautical products manufactured in India to US and other regions of the world."This will open up huge potential for investment. It will also usher in mutual acceptance of aeronautical products and parts developed in either country," Zaidi said.

Aerospace products made in India would be inspected and certified by directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) and they could then be exported.Zaidi further said the country's aeronautical products industry is fast growing as more design and manufacturing is being shifted to India.

The two countries have already completed two key processes prior to signing of the bilateral agreement - a "technical assessment" of the DGCA by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 11 defined areas and a shadow certification project involving review of DGCA's working by the FAA.

A six-member FAA team visited DGCA headquarters here to review the DGCA aircraft certification system and carry out a technical assessment, said the ministry. The FAA team observed that "the DGCA has a very sound aircraft certification system in place commensurate with the rules, regulations, working procedures, etc".

The Americans also executed the shadow certification project, examining the DGCA process of awarding works to its contractors.

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