Manufacturers
Airbus’s senior vice-president engineering Robert Lafontan says: “Over the years we’ve been working with an increasing number of certification authorities, starting with two for the A300, five for the A320, and up to 28 different ones for the A330 and A340; while on the US side we only had to deal with a single one, the FAA. To have a single one on the European side, which speaks with one voice for all the different European agencies, is definitely a major step forward. In the interest of safety it is important that all speak in a single voice.”
Could anything be improved? Airbus comments: “As is the case in the USA, it is important that a system of ‘lead offices’ located close to the main industrial centres be implemented. Looking to the concentration of manufacturers in the Bordeaux-Tarbes-Toulouse area, for example, an EASA commercial aircraft ‘antenna’ in Toulouse would dramatically improve communication.”
Boeing was asked the same questions, but its response was more cautious.
The US manufacturer says: “Boeing depends on an efficient approval process to maintain the free flow of aviation products and services on a global basis. We are actively engaged in working programmes and projects with EASA. We will continue to work with them via the established and expected new arrangements with the FAA, to resolve issues or challenges that need to be addressed.”
Source: Flight International
