Europe's safety regulator is already preparing retaliatory action if the US Senate passes the controversial US Federal Aviation Administration reauthorisation bill, which would require the FAA to inspect Part 145-certificated foreign repair stations at least twice a year.
In a letter to European Commission air transport director Daniel Calleja, European Aviation Safety Agency chief Patrick Goudou writes that "measures should be put in place to make sure that the European side will act in a reciprocal manner if the [reauthorisation] act is finally adopted".
He specifies these measures as: "EASA to carry out oversight of all 1,233 US repair station approvals of stations located in the US that have been granted an EASA 145 and are currently surveilled by the FAA." The agency is already preparing an invitation to tender for a study to define "the most efficient way" to carry out such oversight, he adds.
Negation of the US-European Union bilateral air safety agreement signed in June 2008 would impose higher costs on US maintenance organisations. Under EASA rules, organisations covered by bilateral agreements are charged €1,500 ($2,100) for new Part 145/147-equivalent approvals and €750 for renewals.
However, those not covered by bilaterals are required to seek full maintenance organisation approval, for which charges are imposed on a sliding scale based on employee numbers. An organisation with more than 999 employees would face a €53,000 approval fee and a €43,000 surveillance fee. Goudou says EASA will write to its 1,233 approved US maintenance organisations to inform them of "the negative impact of the envisaged change".
The study on how best to carry out oversight will be launched this month and conclude in September, with a choice of option to follow in October. Deployment would take place between November and June 2010.
In an address to the International Aviation Club in March, US Congressman James Oberstar, who sponsored the reauthorisation bill, defended the inspection provision, saying it "will simply ensure that foreign entities conducting repair work on US aircraft adhere to US safety standards and regulations". He added: "I welcome the same scrutiny by the EU of US repair stations."
The bill was passed by Congress in May and is due to face a Senate vote in August.
Source: Flight International
