Maintenance and Modifications
Watchdog: FAA Oversight of EU Repair Stations Subpar
Lack of training erodes oversight capability, say watchdog groups.

Currently, more than 400 FAA-certified repair stations in Europe perform work on U.S.-registered aircraft and components. To avoid duplicative oversight, the U.S. and the European Union (EU) signed an aviation safety agreement on May 1, 2011, to permit foreign authority safety inspectors to inspect EU repair stations on the behalf of the FAA. While FAA met the agreement’s deadline to transfer its oversight responsibilities to foreign aviation authorities, it did so without ensuring that the authorities were fully prepared to accept their new roles, according to a report issued by the U.S. DOT Office of the Inspector General.