Aerospace Industries Association
TSA Issues Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Repair Station Security
AIA members are reviewing the long-awaited publication of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) proposed rule for repair station security which was published Nov. 18 in the Federal Register.
Since enactment in 2003 of the FAA Reauthorization Act, TSA has been under a congressional mandate to issue rules for the security of aircraft repair stations. In addition, passage of the 9/11 Commission Act in 2007 established a moratorium on the certification of new foreign repair facilities if TSA failed to pass a final rule by Aug. 3, 2008. Consequently, industry faces unknown delays on plans for opening new foreign repair facilities because of the moratorium.
Complicating matters further, the aerospace industry faces a setback in implementation of the U.S.–European Union bilateral safety agreement because of restrictive language contained in the House-passed FAA Reauthorization bill (HR 915).
As approved, H.R. 915 calls for the twice-annual inspections of all foreign repair facilities by FAA employees in addition to the implementation of a drug and alcohol screening regime regardless of the presence of a reciprocal agreement. Industry is working on this matter in the Senate where that chamber’s FAA Reauthorization proposal (S. 1451) calls for inspection regimes to be applied in a manner consistent with existing trade obligations.
With the issuance of TSA’s proposed rulemaking, industry remains committed to its timely and responsible implementation. AIA is channeling industry views to TSA to ensure a risk-based approach to security regulations, and the association’s Civil Aviation Security Committee plans to meet soon with TSA representatives to discuss the proposed rule.
The NPRM comment period closes January 19th. Members may provide input to AIA via ranee.carr[at]aia-aerospace.org.
AIA source: ranee.carr[at]aia-aerospace.org
