Earlier this year Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, reassured members of the House of Representatives that Europeans were “blowing smoke” and “crying wolf” when they threatened reciprocation if the Democrat-sponsored H.R. 915 FAA Reauthorization Act became law. It passed 277 to 136 primarily along party lines.
At issue is the language in Section 303 of the House-passed FAA Reauthorization Act that requires biannual inspections by FAA personnel of all foreign FAA Part 145 certificate holders and also requires individuals employed at foreign repair stations to be included in the Department of Transportation’s drug-and-alcohol testing program.
Both requirements are counter to the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), and the European Commission (EC) has stated that if the language becomes law, the BASA will cease to exist.