Daily Memo: As Key Deadline Nears, U.S. MRO Shops Prepared To Support UK Operators

U.S.-based maintenance providers are well-positioned to continue supporting UK-registered aircraft following a crucial end-of-year deadline, but regulators are encouraging repair stations to keep applications coming.

Dec. 31 is the cutover date for U.S. shops to have UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval to do work on UK-registered aircraft. That means everything from airframe maintenance to working on a component destined for a general aviation (GA) aircraft.

As the end of November approached, total applications were climbing past 700, with more than 300 certificates issued, UK CAA Head of Airworthiness Policy and Rulemaking Neil Williams told Aviation Week.

“There’s quite a lot arriving in our in-trays at the moment to process, because the FAA are getting to the end of doing their evaluation of the supplements that the organization have to produce,” Williams said. “We’re working hard to make sure that everybody who’s completed the FAA side of the process knows exactly what they’re able to do at the start of next year.”

The CAA Part 145 approval replaces the UK’s recognition of a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certificate, which U.S. and UK officials agreed to use as part of a post-Brexit transition period. The countries agreed to open the application pipeline in January 2023 and set Sept. 30, 2024, as the notional deadline to get applications in and still give the CAA enough time to issue approvals by Jan. 1, 2025.

Applications stood at 150 back in March, but have surged as the deadline nears. While the total population of shops with UK business is difficult to pinpoint, Williams is confident that few operators will face U.S. supply chain-related roadblocks.

“I think we’re quite well placed in the commercial aviation field,” he said. “I think our airlines and big MRO shops have been speaking to their supply chains in the U.S. and sorting things out very, very well. In the general aviation domain, we might have a few companies that say, ‘Oh, we can’t get this actuator anymore or this [part] because the company hasn’t applied for approval.’”

While most air transport needs are expected to be addressed via existing and pending approvals, the number of U.S.-based shops with CAA Part 145 approvals will likely climb steadily. EASA has issued nearly 1,500 approvals to U.S.-based shops. While not all of these have customers in the UK, more applications are expected.

With less than a month until the deadline, new applications are not likely to see approvals by January. But Williams said shops seeking UK CAA certification should not be discouraged.

“We’re keen to minimize any disruption on the other side of the end of the transition period, and we really want to encourage them to apply, get the approval, and continue to have that opportunity to support UK operators,” Williams said. “We want to continue to build those numbers, not make it too onerous to be able to get an approval, and then let the market decide where they want to place their business.”