The Federal Aviation Administration is moving to collect detailed data on heavy aircraft maintenance performed outside the United States. In a June 23, 2026 notice requesting public comment, the agency outlined a new information collection titled Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvements. The FAA plans to gather records from Part 121 air carriers that rely on Part 145 repair stations operating abroad to perform heavy maintenance, then analyze the data to detect safety issues tied to that offshore work.
The effort fits within a broader set of repair-station regulatory changes taking effect in 2026. A January amendment formally accepted electronic maintenance records as the primary record format without a paper backup, provided a repair station documents its data-integrity controls, user access management, change-log and audit-trail capability, backup schedule, and recovery procedures in its Repair Station Manual. The agency also continues to require that a certificated repair station perform only the functions for which it holds specific approval.
For domestic maintenance providers, the data collection signals closer federal attention to where and how heavy checks are completed, particularly when US carriers send wide-body and narrow-body aircraft overseas for labor-intensive work. The notice opens a public comment period before the collection can proceed. Trade groups have long debated parity between domestic and foreign repair stations on testing, oversight, and audit frequency, and the FAA review could inform how that oversight evolves across the maintenance sector.
Source: Federal Register - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/23/2026-12606/agency-information-collection-activities-requests-for-comments-clearance-of-a-new-approval-of