The UK’s exit from the European Union will not impact cooperation between US and British aviation authorities, said the Federal Aviation Authority’s administrator Steve Dickson, speaking at the UK Aviation Club luncheon in London yesterday.
Dickson cited the ongoing coronavirus issue as an example of the need for global cooperation in order to maintain safety in the aviation sector, but he stressed this was not limited to issues such as restricting the spread of infectious diseases.
Given that 25% of transatlantic flights are US to the UK and 80% of transatlantic travel traverses UK airspace, Dickson said that the fate of both countries is, “very tightly coupled, when it comes to aviation and global travel”, and this was not changed by Britain’s exit from the EU.
“That's why in addition to being partners in crises like the coronavirus, we must also support each other in times of geopolitical change. Now that the UK is officially left the EU. I'm pleased to note that our governments have worked together really closely to ensure as much as possible continued harmonisation and integrated aviation systems during this transition period and going forward.”
The FAA administrator said that he had “very productive discussions” with the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority on the day of the speech and that the US continued to place a very high value on its relationship with the UK, not just in relation to airspace management but the airlines, parts manufacturers and maintenance businesses bases in the UK.
He later said that the FAA had revised and re-executed its bilateral agreements with the EU and the UK and that had been very helpful in ensuring making consistency here during the transition period of the Britain’s exit from the trade bloc.
Dickson also emphasised that safety was the most important core value to the aviation sector and the return to service of Boeing’s 737MAX would be based purely on this metric.
“I am committed to monitoring the memory of those who lost their lives by working tirelessly each and every day of my tenure to ensure the highest possible origin of safety in the global aviation system…I've been steadfast in saying that our return to service decision [for the MAX] will be based solely on our assessment of the sufficiency of proposed software updates, pilot training, and addressing known issues for the Boeing aircraft.”
In response to a later a question from the audience, Dickson declined to speculate on a return to service date for the MAX but during his speech he said that when it did so it would be the most scrutinised airplane the FAA had ever approved. And that it would not be certified until he was prepared to fly in the aircraft himself. But he also said responsibility for MAX safety went beyond just the FAA.
“These accidents also put a spotlight on global pilot training standards as well as maintenance practices and we'll continue to advocate for improvements in those areas as well because the operational processes are a critical part of our aviation safety system.”
He also commented that the MAX issue hadn’t damaged the FAA’s relationship with other aviation regulators globally and that this collaboration was vital to meeting public expectations with regard to the safety of air travel.
“There's been speculation in the press about our relationship with international regulators, following the MAX crashes. Let me just say that our working relationship remains strong. In fact, among many regulators around the world it probably as strong as it ever has been at all levels and we agree far more than we disagree.”
Dickson said that that the FAA was using a, “crawl, walk, run” approach to the introduction of new vehicle technologies, such as unmanned or electric powered aircraft, and that despite the regulator still being in the crawl phase it was in fact making rapid progress.
“We're also making rapid progress in our regulatory role in commercial space transportation by paving the way for easier access to low earth orbit through the national airspace system. We're doing this by streamlining the rules for commercial launch and re-entry, at the same time as protecting national security and public safety.”
Responding to an audience question after his speech about the approval process for returning the MAX into service, Dickson said that it was important to make a distinction between the design approval stage, which the FAA has responsibility for, and operational issues which were for local regulators, potentially leading to a two-speed reintroduction of the airplane globally.
“We need to recognise that any regulator around the world is going to understand their aviation system better than anyone else. And so that if they have to take additional actions to introduce the [MAX] into service. And that's okay and something that frankly happens in any, in any certification program.”