The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) updated their long-standing aviation safety agreement last month.
The agreement, called Technical Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness and Environmental Certification, was signed Sept. 22 and updates go into effect 180 days later.
The agreement’s purpose is to specify the procedures used for approving civil aeronautics product design. Each agency must notify the other of significant changes in their certification systems, and an oversight board was created with members of each agency.
“Certification basis consists of the applicable airworthiness and environmental requirements established by a certification authority as the basis by which the type design for a civil aeronautical product, or a change to that type design was approved or accepted,” the agreement said. “The certification basis may include special conditions, equivalent level of safety findings, and exemptions or deviations when determined to apply to the type certificate.”
The agencies do not duplicate certifications, but instead, verify the other agency’s certificate. The update is designed to increase approvals with technical involvement.
If technical involvement is required, a work plan will define the validating authority’s involvement.
The FAA seeks to be the global leader in promoting international partnerships to advance aviation safety.