As of Dec. 7, the association is working two key issues related to international maintenance oversight:

(1) ARSA has received numerous queries from members related to a notice from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) that it would no longer consider Special Approval applications from repair stations for certificate extension. The agency will return to 0n-site audits for repair station approvals in 2024 and in the intervening time is requiring Chinese operators to submit Special Approval requests related to work performed by uncertificated U.S. maintenance organizations.

(2) The FAA has released its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) “Drug and Alcohol Testing of Certificated Repair Station Employees Located Outside of the United States.” ARSA coordinated an extension request to the comment period, which was granted in January 2024. Comments to the NPRM are due in April; see more at arsa.org/drugandalcohol.

Stay tuned for updates on both issues.

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