Commercial Safety Regulations Are Avoided by Some Large Aircraft Operators

A review of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) enforcement of commercial aviation safety regulations revealed several problems involving some large aircraft operators.

Large aircraft operators who avoid compliance with commercial safety regulations not only have an unfair competitive advantage over commercial operators who comply with the costly commercial safety regulations but, in some cases, are operating unsafely. Under existing regulations, foreign air carriers can lease U.S.-registered aircraft and operate in this country under the less stringent private regulations. This action also has competitive and safety implications. Stiffer safety regulations for private large aircraft may lead some operators to transfer their aircraft registrations to foreign countries, where there is little regulation, and then to continue operations in the United States under a foreign operating permit. FAA officials plan to upgrade private large aircraft regulations which will make them more comparable to commercial regulations.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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