ALTA welcomes Brazil’s incorporation to the OMAS (Aircraft Maintenance Organizations) Multinational Agreement
Within the framework of the Pan American Aviation Safety Summit, organized by ALTA, and with the presence of the ICAO, was signed an agreement by the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil in the context of the Regional Safety Oversight Cooperation System.
June 7, 2022
Within the framework of the ALTA Pan American Aviation Safety Summit, organized by the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA), -and with the presence of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), represented by its South America Office (SAM)- was signed an agreement by the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) in the context of the Regional Safety Oversight Cooperation System (SRVSOP), for Brazil’s incorporation to the OMAS (Aircraft Maintenance Organizations) Multinational Agreement, where 11 States of the Latin American region participate.
The OMAS Multinational Agreement is the first project of the effort promoted by the SRVSOP, supported by ICAO and ALTA since its beginning, aimed at achieving the harmonization of the Latin American Aeronautical Regulation 145 (LAR 145), specifically focused on maintenance organizations.
The multinational agreement aims to ensure that a certification issued by the aviation authority of a country joining the initiative is recognized by the other countries that make up the SRVSOP in order to maintain standards recognized and accepted by these States to optimize maintenance processes in the region, reduce resources such as costs and administrative time, mitigate challenges related to shortages of trained personnel, establish operational safety standards, create jobs and opportunities in the countries, reduce bureaucracy, to name a few.
ANAC’s Director President, Juliano Noman, comments: “Brazil’s aviation is recognized throughout the world for its quality and safety. Our maintenance organizations have the capacity to offer excellent work to any air operator and this multinational agreement opens the door for that to happen. It expands the borders to Brazilian maintenance organizations because we know that they are capable of competing and occupying a prominent space in the international scenario. ANAC has sought to provide these business opportunities for all those involved. The Simple Flight Program has already brought several actions aimed at simplifying and modernizing the air sector and the Agency will continue to make efforts to ensure a regulatory environment that allows the safe development of Brazilian aviation”.
“Regulatory harmonization is one of the great challenges facing our region for the development of air transport. The wide variety of regulations and the differences in each country make it difficult for an operator to start, execute and maintain an efficient operation with the same standards in the region, which in the end translates into higher costs and fewer options for users. This is why ALTA has been supporting the SRVSOP, the ICAO and the States, from the private sector, in the work to harmonize aeronautical regulations in the region. Brazil’s joining this specific agreement for the maintenance area represents a tremendously important step to generate efficiencies, more opportunities for the industry and, of course, to continue raising safety standards,” comments José Ricardo Botelho, ALTA’s Executive Director & CEO.
The countries that make up the Regional Safety Oversight Cooperation System (SRVSOP) and take part in the OMAS Multinational Agreement are: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The LAR harmonization project includes 49 procedures specified in the ICAO annexes.
In addition to the OMAS Multinational Agreement, there are other agreements under implementation that have already been approved by some SRVSOP member states: CIAC/CEAC – Civil Aviation Instruction and Training Centers (signed by Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela), CMAE – Civil Aviation Medical Examiner Centers (signed by Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela) and PEL – Civil Aviation Personnel Licensing (signed by Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela).
The results to date show that 90% of the experts stated their alignment with the surveillance system, and next steps foresee the harmonization of air navigation services and aerodromes, multinational certification of aircraft and components, as well as further work on the automatic validation of civil aviation personnel licensing.