DOD Use Status

RETURN TO INDEX

DOD Use Status

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) established the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program in August of 1992. This program focuses on a country's ability, not the individual air carrier, to adhere to international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance established by the United Nation's technical agency for aviation, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

To access a listing of the countries assessment, click on International Aviation Safety Assessment. Go to program assessments and click on "Results excel".

The FAA has established two ratings for the status of the countries Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA). SatoTravel and Alshamel Associates are required to comply with the assessment program when providing official travel for DOD employees.

Category 1

Category 1 means that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) within that country does comply with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. CAA has been assessed by FAA inspectors and has been found to license and oversea air carriers in accordance with IACO aviation safety standards. Air carriers in Category 1 countries are approved and can be used by DOD personnel for official travel on individually ticketed service only. (No groups).

Category 2

Category 2 means that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) within that country does not comply with the ICAO standards. The FAA has assessed this country's CAA and determined that it does not provide safety oversight of its air carrier operators in accordance with the minimum safety oversight standards established by ICAO. Air carriers in Category 2 countries are disapproved and cannot be used by DOD personnel for official travel, except to operate to/from the United States with increased FAA oversight, on individually ticketed service only. (No groups)

Exception: In extenuating circumstances where no viable alternative to using a restricted foreign carrier exists, and the travel is mission essential, the theater commander may approve an exception to this policy. Exception approval authority is limited in all cases to individual travel and does not apply to DOD group movements or charter operations.

Code Share

Pay attention to code shares! When determining the rating of an airline, make sure you are checking the operating air carrier and not the code share. Code-sharing is a marketing arrangement in which one airline puts its code on the flights of another airline in order to coordinate services and advertise and sell the other airline’s services as its own.

For information on how to identify a code share and determine the operating carrier, please see: DOT Code Share Requirements

last update March, 2004