Barbados' Aviation Safety Rating Downgraded by FAA

One Day after the Barbados Civil Aviation Department, and the Air Transport Licensing Authority announced that it had given REDjet airlines an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC), Barbados has been slapped with a downgrade to category 2 by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA determined that Barbados does not comply with the rules and regulations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards.

As a result, the FAA has assigned Barbados an International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 2 rating. With a Category 2 rating, Barbados' air carriers, which do not currently serve the United States, cannot establish U.S. service.

ICAO is the United Nations' technical agency for aviation that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance.

In February of this year, the Barbados Cabinet had sought to approved a number of amendments to Barbados' regulatory framework to position Barbados to acquire a Category 1 Status at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) with the FAA.

Over the pass couple of years, Barbados had satisfied seven out of nine requirements. Requirements to be address include Civil Aviation System and increasing the required number of personnel to adequately staff the Civil Aviation Department. This process should be finished by the end of May.