US aerospace manufacturers are warning US Congress not to adopt proposed legislative provisions that would allow unannounced visits by US officials to foreign aircraft repair stations.
The US Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), which lobbies Congress on behalf of the US industry, says such laws would interfere with the sovereignty of foreign nations.
"The effect [of the legislation] would be closing down our ability to work with foreign aircraft repair stations," says AIA vice- president for civil aviation Robert Robeson.
The US Senate has proposed legislation that would allow US officials to make surprise inspection visits to foreign repair stations that perform work on US-operated commercial aircraft. Under the proposed legislation, the government of the nation in which the station is located would not even be informed.
The same legislation also calls for imposing drug tests on maintenance workers at foreign repair stations that do work on US aircraft.
Source: Flight International
