Talks begin on maintenance implementation procedures between Russia, Balarus and the US

Published: 11/22/1999

The FAA and CIS aviation authorities have begun talks on maintenance implementation procedures (MIP), as part of the ongoing harmonisation of US and Russian civil aviation standards. Carol Giles, Assistant Manager of FAA"s maintenance division, Grigory Fiodorov, Head of Belarus" state committee for aviation and Gennady Gipitch, Head of the Airworthiness Department at the FSVT, met to discuss the issue during the 1999 conference of CIS aviation authorities in Minsk. According to Giles, the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA), signed by the US and Russia earlier this year, represents the basis for the development of mutually recognised national aviation standards. An MIP agreement would allow national repair plants to perform maintenance work on both US and Russian-made aircraft under FAR-145/AP-145 and FAR-43 airworthiness regulations. Giles said that she considers MIP to be an essential part of the Bilateral Aviation Agreement (BAA) between the US and Russia. She cautioned, however, that the agreement would take some time to complete. It took the US and Russia more than six years to sign BASA. Gipitch confirmed that the FAA and FSVT have identified the repair facilities at Moscow"s Domodedovo Airport as “the place to conduct practical harmonisation". He added that FAA representatives would be allowed to inspect the facility in order to assess Russian national standards. The ATB in Domodedovo is considered to be one of the best in Russia. AP-145 certification (similar to FAR-145) is planned for 2000. ATB Domodedovo is owned by East Line Group, which is investing some $30m in a modernisation programme. Vladimir Prokochup, Executive Director of ATB Domodedovo, said that ATB has recently purchased six Elephant, two Belaz and three KrAZ specialized trucks, as well as US-manufactured testing equipment for checking avionics on Russian and foreign airliners. ATB also plans to rebuild the hangars in order to accommodate Il-96s. According to Prokopchuk, ATB has licences for maintenance, repair and servicing on 13 indigenous aircraft (including the Il-86, Il-76, Il-62, Il-18 and Tu-154) and is preparing for maintenance work on Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Giles will visit Domodedovo during her current visit to Moscow. Gipitch will fly to the US in December in order to continue talks on MIP.

Article ID: 1110