“The congressionally-imposed ban on the Federal Aviation Administration’s ability to certificate new foreign repair stations is having a stifling impact on the aviation maintenance industry, ARSA told the Senate Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee in a Nov. 2 letter.” The letter is part of the Association’s Lift the Ban Campaign aimed at ending the certification prohibition.

ARSA contends that in punishing industry because a federal agency (in this case, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)) has refused to do its job, Congress has set a dangerous precedent. Citing its recent survey of aviation maintenance leaders, ARSA warns that the FAA’s inability to issue new certificates is preventing U.S. aviation companies from tapping into rapidly expanding overseas markets, thereby hindering domestic employment growth. The informal survey revealed that among a very small sample of U.S. companies, the ban is costing at least $18 million in lost revenue. More than half of the respondents indicated that they would hire new U.S.-based employees if they were able to obtain certification.

Sent to the committee in conjunction with the TSA oversight hearing, “Ten Years After 9/11: The Next Wave in Aviation Security,” ARSA’s letter highlighted the consequences of the FAA’s inability to issue timely security rules for repair stations.

To share the results of ARSA’s survey with your lawmakers and to encourage their support for lifting the ban on FAA certification of new foreign repair stations, visit ARSAaction.org.

~~~ posted 11/8/11 ~~~

More from ARSA