Singapore, China sign mutual MRO deal

Singapore, China sign mutual MRO deal The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) announced Wednesday (21 August) that the two countries had concluded a “milestone” Technical Arrangement on Aviation Maintenance (TA-AM) at 56th Directors-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Conference for Asia and Pacific regions, in Kathmandu, Nepal. The two sides said the pact is the “first such bilateral agreement that CAAC has signed with any civil aviation authority”. CAAS has concluded similar arrangements with Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Hong Kong China’s Civil Aviation Department, Transport Canada Civil Aviation and the US Federal Aviation Administration. It provides for the mutual recognition of certification and surveillance of approved maintenance, repair and overhaul organisations located in China and Singapore. The two sides said the deal would help reduce compliance costs and streamline other MRO work. Currently, 43 MROs in Singapore already hold China Civil Aviation Regulation (CCAR) 145 Maintenance Organisation Certificates from CAAC, which enable them to perform maintenance on aircraft and components fitted onto aircraft registered in China. These MROs include airlines’ engineering arms and maintenance units authorised by manufacturers. In China, 26 MROs, including engine and aircraft parts repair workshops hold Singapore Airworthiness Requirements (SAR) 145 Maintenance Organisation Approvals from CAAS, which enable them to perform maintenance on aircraft and components intended for fitment onto aircraft registered in Singapore. Under the agreement, participating MROs would only be audited by local authorities