Join ARSA Ask ARSA Pay ARSA

ARSA Cautions Clinton on Aviation Exports

ALEXANDRIA, VA, June 9, 2010 – The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) has told the Obama administration that legislation pending on Capitol Hill threatens to undermine the global competitiveness of the U.S. aerospace industry.

In a letter sent yesterday to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ARSA Executive Vice President Christian A. Klein warned that proposed language in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill will obstruct aviation maintenance exports and hinder the ability of U.S. companies to compete internationally. In a recent visit to the Boeing maintenance facility at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, Secretary Clinton acknowledged aerospace is the United States’ leading export.

Klein praised the Obama administration’s commitment to strengthening the U.S. economy through the National Export Initiative (NEI), but said the pending legislation is contrary to that effort.

ARSA asserts that provisions in the House legislation requiring the FAA to inspect foreign repair stations twice annually and imposing mandatory drug and alcohol testing on overseas repair stations will violate international accords, resulting in retaliatory measures by key trading partners. Furthermore, the House bill fails to recognize our longstanding U.S.-Canada Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), which treats certification granted by Transport Canada to an Approved Maintenance Organization (AMO) as the equivalent of FAA approval.

In the letter, Klein urged Secretary Clinton to weigh-in with Congress and “ensure that the requirements and recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) be allowed to dictate international safety and security laws and regulations.”

To read the full text of the letter click here.

###

ARSA is an Alexandria, Virginia-based trade association that represents aviation maintenance and manufacturing companies. The association has a distinguished 25-year record of advocating for repair stations and providing regulatory compliance assistance to the industry.



More from ARSA

Respond to “First of Kind” Survey on Female Aerospace Leadership

ARSA partner Oliver Wyman has invited association members to support its survey updating the “Lift off to Leadership” report published in 2021 as a joint initiative with the International Aerospace…Read More

FAA Confirms SMS Compliance Dates Under U.S./EU Bilateral

On July 8, the FAA published InFO 24007 confirming the compliance dates for U.S. repair stations either applying for or holding EASA approval under the bilateral agreement between the United…Read More

Grantham Gets Cycle’s First ARSA PAC Contribution

Air Force and aviation industry veteran Travis Grantham, a candidate for Arizona’s fifth congressional district, has received the first ARSA Political Action Committee (PAC) contribution of the 2026 election cycle.…Read More

Review FAA’s Methods, Techniques, and Practices

The FAA has engaged industry to help review AC 43.13-1B Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices—Aircraft Inspection and Repair that is applicable to aircraft inspection and repair. The AC primarily supports…Read More

Drafting Regulatory Purpose into Order 8130.21

On June 17, ARSA and the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) jointly submitted a rewrite of the FAA’s Draft Order 8130.21J, “Completion of FAA Form 8130-3 under 14 CFR part 21.”…Read More
ARSA