[mondoshawan22]

"At Aeroman’s El Salvador facility, only one mechanic out of eight is F.A.A.-certified. At a major overhaul base used by United Airlines in China, the ratio is one F.A.A.-certified mechanic for every 31 non-certified mechanics. In contrast, back when U.S. airlines performed heavy maintenance at their own, domestic facilities, F.A.A.-certified mechanics far outnumbered everyone else. At American Airlines’ mammoth heavy-maintenance facility in Tulsa, certified mechanics outnumber the uncertified four to one"

They also explain that to be FAA certified, you must be able to read and comprehend English. This is because the maintenance books are all in English. Also of note, Southwest is one of the airlines that do this, and they are purely a domestic service.

This is less about xenophobia than FAA oversight. This is a real problem.

[notahacker]

Except that the technicians used at the major overhaul base in China - by which I presume they mean the AMECO Beijing venture co-owned by Lufthansa Technik, a division of the well known major airline - are relatively unlikely to have FAA certifications not because they're incredibly lax, but because they're substantially more likely to have been certified by EASA (the European standards body) instead. Which has absolutely nothing to with language standards and absolutely everything to do with European companies not considering the FAA standards to be any more exacting or relevant than their own, and their US clients generally agreeing.

[danmaz74]

> because they're substantially more likely to have been certified by EASA (the European standards body) instead

This is an interesting point, but, have you got any data to sustain it?

[notahacker]

Their affiliated training centre presently has a capacity for 550 people - equivalent to 10% of their workforce - at any one time on EASA (not FAA) accredited Part 66 training courses, plus a further 400 people on type-specific training. They've been training their own staff based on an EASA approved German-designed training scheme since 1996, so its not like the desire for certified engineers or their adherence to European training standards is a new thing either.

http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/ameco-beijing

[mondoshawan]

Does the FAA have an equivalency rule in place for certifications? The crux of this article is not whether or not the EASA is just as good as FAA certification. Its about how the FAA has little to no oversight over maintenance in other countries.

[yarper]

FAA rules and EASA rules are largely the same. The crux of the article is not EASA vs FAA it's more about places outside of both FAA and EASA jurisdiction.

[danmaz74]

Thanks

[JshWright]

What, you mean like all the data the article supplied (in theory...)?

[briandear]

Assuming they actually have that certification. That's the kicker. I am happy with certification by a reputable organization (FAA or EASS,) however we're assuming those certifications. Just because Lufthansa co-owns the venture doesn't mean they spent the money to send all of those mechanics to an accredited certification program. The Lufthansa CEO is known for being cheap -- he's on record complaining about (and initially refusing to install) full flat business class seats in the new A380s because of the lost revenue from the extra space they would have required. I fly Lufthansa about a dozen times per year and generally feel confident about maintanence, however if the reason for this is cost savings, there's a real danger of even minor communications issues becoming deadly.

[notahacker]

I'm going to go out on a limb and suppose that not sending many staff to the massive training facility they also own next door to ensure smooth operation of part of their $4bn per annum third party MRO business probably isn't on Lufthansa's cost- cutting list, and the airlines signing multimillion dollar contracts with them might be a little more informed and thorough in their due diligence on certifications and staffing than travel photographers trying their hand at journalism...

[ubernostrum]

Lufthansa's cost-cutting is kind of a big deal, at least for employees; their cabin crew staged a one-day strike Monday over that.

[mondoshawan]

> ...and their US clients generally agreeing.

I would expect that this is not their choice to make, but maybe I'm wrong. What are the FAA's rules with regard to major aircraft maintenance for US domestic airlines like Southwest?

[cperciva]

They also explain that to be FAA certified, you must be able to read and comprehend English.

This does not, however, mean that anyone who is not FAA certified is unable to read and comprehend English.

[mondoshawan]

Of course. But that's the rub: outsourced maintenance does not have FAA scrutiny because its not being done in FAA jurisdiction.