EASA Considers Part Manufacturing In Europe

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has issued Preliminary Regulatory Impact Assessment for replacement parts. It reviews existing EASA Part 21 regulations pertaining to replacement parts and compares them with current FAA Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) regulations. The assessment concluded that the EASA’s current regulations are sufficient to support the approval of aftermarket aircraft parts similar to the FAA’s PMA approval and that the European agency needs to issue better guidance to permit its regulations to be used in that manner. The assessment is seen as the first step in developing a European replacement-part industry. “EASA’s decision to promote its existing regulations allowing for the approval of replacement parts may lead to a shift in production in Europe from type certificate (TC) holders to other producers of aviation parts and opens a door to a robust European industry for the production of replacement parts,” said Jason Dickstein, president of Washington Aviation Group.