India Press Releases

U.S.-India Aviation Cooperation Program

April 23, 2007

The U.S-India Aviation Cooperation Program (ACP), a public-private partnership between the U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and U.S. aviation companies, has been established to provide a forum for unified communication between the Government of India and U.S. public and private sector entities in India.  The ACP is designed to work directly with the Indian Government to identify and support India’s civil aviation sector modernization priorities. 

            The ACP’s specific objectives are to:  (i) promote enhanced safety, operational efficiency and system capacity in the Indian aviation sector; (ii) facilitate and coordinate aviation industry training and technical ties between the U.S. and India; and (iii) strengthen overall U.S.-India aviation cooperation.  USTDA is providing funding for training and technical assistance programs and the FAA and U.S. aviation companies are providing in-kind support.

            The ACP will serve as a mechanism through which Indian aviation sector officials can work with U.S. civil aviation representatives to highlight specific areas for technical cooperation.  The ACP consists of both U.S. Government and private sector representatives, and its secretariat will function as the focal point for responding to Indian areas of interest by identifying appropriate training programs and other cooperative activities.  The secretariat will be responsible for managing and organizing the identified training and technical cooperation activities.

Initially, the ACP intends to focus on activities that support air traffic/air space management enhancements and the challenge of rapidly increasing aviation traffic in India.  The ACP will coordinate identified government and industry priorities in these areas, develop corresponding activities, and recommend activities that U.S. Government agencies, such as USTDA and the FAA, and U.S. private industry can support.  Specific technical cooperation programs will depend on the priorities Indian and U.S. officials identify, and may include training opportunities in India and the United States, on-the-job training, and personnel exchange programs. 

For further information regarding the program, please contact:

• Randall Fiertz, FAA Senior Representative - Randall.Fiertz@faa.gov
• Dr. Vivek Lall, Managing Director, Boeing India Commercial Airplanes - vivek.lall@boeing.com
• Marian Bassett, USTDA India Country Manager – mbassett@ustda.gov

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