The Federal Aviation Administration has begun a rulemaking process that would expand mutual recognition of maintenance organization certificates issued outside the United States. The initiative responds to a multi-year push from aerospace trade groups seeking faster bilateral recognition of foreign repair stations already certified to equivalent safety standards.
Under the current framework, many non-U.S. maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities must obtain separate FAA certification even when they already hold approvals from aviation authorities with comparable oversight requirements, creating duplicate paperwork and inspection costs for airlines and MRO providers that operate internationally.
The Aeronautical Repair Station Association and a coalition of aerospace trade groups submitted feedback to the FAA in mid-April on the proposed rulemaking plan, pushing for expanded international flexibility within U.S. aviation safety requirements. The FAA has not published a target date for a final rule.
Broader mutual recognition would affect U.S. carriers and MRO providers that rely on a global network of certified repair stations to service widebody and narrowbody fleets, potentially reducing certification backlogs that have been cited as a factor in extended aircraft downtime industrywide.
The rulemaking is one of several regulatory changes moving through the FAA this year alongside updated electronic recordkeeping rules and expanded Part 145 audit requirements.
Source: Aviation Week - https://aviationweek.com/mro/safety-ops-regulation/faa-broaden-mutual-recognition-mro-approvals