ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA – On Jan. 19, the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) voiced the concerns of the aviation maintenance industry on the global stage, addressing representatives of the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), at the Agency’s “Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) Workshop” in Cologne, Germany. ARSA has continued to emphasize the importance of ICAs (the manuals used to maintain aircraft, engines, propellers and other articles in airworthy condition) for ensuring aviation safety and has frequently communicated with EASA and other regulatory bodies on the subject. ARSA Managing Director and General Counsel Marshall Filler represented the Association at the meeting in Cologne.

ARSA lauded EASA for its initiative in addressing the complex issues associated with ICAs and its effort to rectify inconsistencies in definitions and application. “We commend the Agency for its leadership role on this important issue,” said Filler. “By continuing to reach out to all segments of the aviation maintenance industry, EASA can ensure that safety is the utmost priority when examining approval and implementation of ICAs.”

ARSA helped lead the discussion on determining the relationship of component maintenance manuals (CMM) to the ICA. Currently, CMMs (which provide instructions for maintaining a component in the shop) are not required to be included in the ICA; however, Type Certificate (TC) and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) holders can incorporate them if desired. A disconnect arises because EASA rules require that holders of European Technical Standard Order Authorizations (ETSOA) and repair design approvals to also create maintenance manuals or ICA while component suppliers to TC/STC holders do not. If a decision is made to include CMMs under the ICA umbrella, EASA would have to determine which party would be responsible for preparing them – the TC/STC holder or the manufacturer of the component.

To supplement its efforts in Cologne, ARSA provided the Agency with its Joint Industry Committee Policy, initially submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration in 2004. The Committee represented a cross-section of the maintenance industry focused on the inter-relationship among design, production, operation and maintenance rules and attempted to balance the interests of TC holders, their component suppliers, operators and maintenance providers.

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About ARSA
ARSA has a distinguished, 25 year record of representing certificated aviation maintenance and alteration facilities. ARSA’s over 400 members are an important part of an industry that generates over $39.1 billion in economic activity in the United States and supports over 200,000 employees.

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