Singapore and US Expand Bilateral Cooperation in Civil Aviation

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) today deepened their long-standing cooperation in civil aviation by signing revisions to the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement – Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness (BASA-IPA) on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow.

The enhancements follow upon the launch of the U.S. – Singapore Joint Aviation Steering Committee (JASC) in December 2017.

The JASC is co-led by the FAA Administrator and the CAAS Director-General of Civil Aviation, to manage and strategically guide technical collaboration of aviation initiatives between FAA and CAAS in the areas of international aviation safety, regional cooperation and development, air traffic management, environment, and cybersecurity.

The enhanced BASA-IPA provides for the mutual recognition of airworthiness of civil aeronautical products, and includes an expanded scope of modifications and repairs allowed beyond that of cabin interiors.

These enhancements will reduce duplicate certification activities for design approvals issued to air operators and aeronautical design industries from both the U.S. and Singapore, resulting in significant time and cost savings.

The BASA-IPA was originally signed in 2004 and later enhanced in 2007. At the Singapore Airshow 2016, FAA and CAAS expanded their cooperation with the conclusion of the BASA – Maintenance Implementation Procedures (MIP). Then in July 2017, both parties concluded the BASA-MIP Maintenance Agreement Guidance (MAG).

The BASA-MIP allows for the reciprocal acceptance of safety oversight requirements, as well as the mutual recognition of procedures for the approval and monitoring of aircraft maintenance organisations. Similar to the BASA-IPA, the BASA-MIP significantly reduces regulatory burdens and compliance costs for the aviation industry.

"The removal of the limitations will now allow airlines to undertake a comprehensive supplemental type certificate package of modifications for cabin, mechanical and electrical systems, as well as the in-flight entertainment system. This will certainly help airlines reduce lead times and costs of cabin retrofit programmes," said Singapore Airlines Senior Vice President Engineering, Mr Lau Hwa Peng.

Dr Yip Yuen Cheong, Executive Vice President of Aerospace Engineering & Manufacturing, ST Aerospace, said, "We welcome the new revisions that simplify the process in getting the necessary certifications and approval from both the CAAS and FAA. Apart from lowering administrative costs, the revised agreement also helps in bringing to market new modification and repair solutions faster, which ST Aerospace will benefit from as we grow our engineering, design and manufacturing business in passenger-to-freighter conversions, cabin interiors and seats."

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