Aircraft repair stations, whether foreign or domestic, must be certified by the FAA in order to do work on U.S.-registered aircraft. Prior to 1988, FAA regulations required foreign repair stations to demonstrate a legitimate need to service United States aircraft involved in international travel in order to be eligible for certification. Despite exceptions to this rule, including but not limited to emergency repairs, FAA regulations were directed to ensure that repairs of U.S.-registered aircraft met the most stringent safety standards and requirements.
Furthermore, FAA's limited resources were not squandered assessing, certifying, and inspecting unnecessary stations. With the 1988 amendments, however, FAA removed the need-base requirements and allowed for even repair stations to perform both repair and maintenance work on any U.S. aircraft, regardless of whether or not it flew internationally.
This new policy resulted in FAA certifying almost 300 new foreign repair stations. The legacy left in the wake of these changes is both problematic and reminiscent of those we sought to address almost a decade ago. The 1988 amendments created yet another loophole for us to close.
Domestic repair stations, much like domestic carriers of the early 1990s, are at a competitive disadvantage when foreign stations operate under a different, cheaper set of standards. The cost of compliance is not insignificant. Yet, FAA regulations require domestic repair stations to adhere to a stringent array of standards, from drug and alcohol testing to the careful monitoring of personnel. And they have done so for the greater good of safety.
Why then should foreign repair stations be held to a lesser standard?
The very countries that FAA prohibits from flying into our country or whose civil aviation authority has been found to be deficient are today being certified to do repair work on United States planes. My greatest concern is—FAA has certified hundreds of new foreign repair stations—is the agency does not have the resources to properly monitor all of these facilities in a manner that is consistent with ensuring the safe repair of our Nation's aircraft. It is impossible, Mr. Chairman, for FAA to determine if their high standards are, in fact, being adhered to at the many facilities that are now the responsibility to surveil.
