Bilateral Airworthiness Agreements

 

1. Purpose

   This Advisory Circular describes the measures governing Egyptian Bilateral Airworthiness Agreements (BAAs).

 

2. General

   a. A Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement is an "Executive Agreement" concluded at the government-to-government level by an exchange of agreements between Civil Aviation Authorities.

   b. The BAAs are not considered to be Trade Agreements; rather they are technical agreements intended only to facilitate the reciprocal acceptance of test results, certificates, or marks of conformity issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of the exporting country. Without such arrangements, product manufacturers could incur a substantial, unnecessary burden of repetitive full certification testing and analysis for each importing country, without recognition of the efforts completed for domestic certification. The BAAs are intended to reduce these burdens by facilitating liaison between the ECAA and the civil aviation authorities of the other Contracting State to ensure that the airworthiness safety standards of the importing country are satisfied through maximum use of the exporting country's certification system.

   c. When a foreign government requests a BAA with Egypt, or requests that an existing agreement be revised, the ECAA submits the request for review by the Egyptian Flight Safety Standards Sector (FSSS). The FSSS conducts an evaluation of the requesting country's airworthiness and type certification system.

   d. The ECAA-FSSS includes in its evaluation an assessment of the foreign airworthiness authority's technical competence, capabilities, regulatory authority, and efficiency, the foreign country's airworthiness laws and regulations, and the foreign industry's overall state-of-the-art in design and manufacturing capability for the scope of the agreement sought. The ECAA personnel then decide the specific scope, substance, and text of a draft BAA, usually with representatives of the other country's airworthiness authority. Once a draft BAA is reached, the text is submitted for final review and approval of both parties.

e. BAAs provide, in effect, within the term and scope of each agreement that:

(i)             The importing country shall give the equivalent validity to the certification issued by the exporting country and complying with the applicable requirements notified by the importing country, as if the certification had been made by its own airworthiness authority in accordance with its own applicable laws, regulations, and requirements.

(ii)           The civil aviation authorities of the importing State shall have the right to make acceptance of any certification by the civil aviation authorities of the exporting State dependent upon the product meeting the Egyptian airworthiness code and any additional requirements which the importing State finds necessary to ensure that the product meets a level of safety equivalent to that provided by the applicable laws, regulations, and requirements which would be effective for a similar product produced in the importing State.

(iii)          The civil aviation authorities of each Contracting State shall keep the civil aviation authorities of the other Contracting State currently informed on all relevant laws, regulations, and requirements in their state.

(iv) In the case of conflicting interpretations of the laws, regulations or requirements pertaining to certifications or approvals under this Agreement, the interpretations of the civil aviation authority of the importing country shall prevail.

(v) Either party may terminate the Agreement at its expiration date.

(vi) The agreements may be cancelled, after 60 days written notice by either party, should the situation change in a country where a BAA fails to produce the required safety results.

 

3. Validation of type certificate of imported products.

    A type certificate may be validated for a product that is manufactured in a foreign country with which Egypt has an agreement for the acceptance of that product to be imported into Egypt provided that:

a. The country in which the product was manufactured certifies that the product has been examined, tested and found to meet the applicable airworthiness requirements of Egypt or the applicable airworthiness requirements of the country in which the product was manufactured and any additional requirements the ECAA may prescribe to provide a level of safety equivalent to that provided by the applicable airworthiness requirements of Egypt;

b. The applicant has submitted the technical data, concerning airworthiness with respect to the product required by the ECAA; and

c. The manuals, placards, listings, and instrument markings required by the applicable airworthiness requirements are presented in the English language.

 

4. Exemptions, Deviations, Waivers, and Authorization

a.       The granting of exemptions is generally viewed as an alternative method of complying with a regulatory requirement as promulgated under Part 11.

b.      Certain sections of the ECAR's allow the ECAA to issue a certificate of waiver, a certificate of authorization or operation specifications, which authorizes a deviation. There are  three options available which are referred to as follows:

i.                                      Deviation: When a regulatory section stipulates that a deviation is permitted.

ii.                                    Waiver: When a regulatory section stipulates that a waiver or authorization is permitted.

iii.                                   Authorization: When the regulatory section contains words such as “in violation of the terms of an authorization issued under this section”, “unless a certificate of authorization”, or other similar words, the regulatory flexibility is referred to as an authorization.

NOTE: If the specific regulatory section does not stipulate that a deviation, a waiver, or authorization may be granted or issued, compliance with the regulation is mandatory. In these cases, the only methods of obtaining relief from the regulation is through the exemption process.


 

5.

Requirements to issue a certificate of airworthiness

 

A. For a new type of aircraft:

Note: For the continuing airworthiness of the aircraft:

A system of continuous supply of airworthiness information such as airworthiness directives and Accident / Incident reports shall be established with the manufacturer and the State of manufacturer. The following requirements shall be provided as applicable:

a.                  A three view drawing of the aircraft containing all basic details and description/operation of all systems.

b.                  Aircraft technical specifications.

c.                  Aircraft type-certificate, supplemental type certificate if any, and type certificate data sheet.

d.                  Engine’s type certificate and type certificate data sheet.

e.                  Propeller’s type certificate and type certificate data sheet.

f.                    Means of obtaining the national technical standards used in the design and construction of the aircraft and its units.

g.                  Statement of compliance with the current Egyptian Airworthiness Code established for that class of aircraft.

h.                  Export certificate of airworthiness.

i.                    Deregistration / Nonregistration certificate.

j.                    Noise certificate.

k.                  Radio license.

l.                    Certificate of insurance.

m.                Production flight-test report.

n.                  Approved aircraft flight manual.

o.                  Master minimum equipment list, along with related dispatch deviation procedures guide.

p.                  The following manuals or their equivalent (in ATA 100 order(:

(i)             Customized operation manual or cockpit crew operation manual.

(ii)           Maintenance manuals including: standard practice manuals, non-destructive tests manual, overhaul manuals of the aircraft and components and fault isolation manual if any.

(iii)          Structure repair manual.

(iv)         Weight and balance manual.

(v)           Illustrated parts catalogue.

(vi)         Maintenance planning document or maintenance inspection manual.

(vii)        Special tools manual.

(viii)      Wiring diagrams manual.

q.                  Electric load analysis.

r.                   List and status of embodied modifications, service bulletins, and airworthiness directives.

s.                   Weight and balance report.

t.                    Ground checks and acceptance flight test report.

u.                  Detailed list of emergency equipment.

v.                  Lay out of passenger arrangement (LOPA).

w.                List of units, equipment, and component and life limited components.

x.                  Compass swing report and pitot static test report, ATC transponder report and validity dates for ULB,CVR,and DFDR.

y.                  ELT test date.

z.                   TSO information on all certificated equipment, in addition to the following items:

-                               maintenance check history

-                               major repair history

-                               deferred maintenance item

-                               aircraft and engine log books

-                                last certificate of release to service

 

B. For a validated type of aircraft:

The above requirements mentioned in item (5-A) except (a, b, c, d, e, f, g, o & p).