The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) submitted a written statement to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, & Security detailing the important role aviation maintenance services play in ensuring the competitiveness of the American aerospace industry. The statement will be included in the official record for the committee’s July 18 hearing, “The Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Aviation Industry: Addressing Competition Issues to Maintain U.S. leadership in the Aerospace Market.”
ARSA’s statement details the substantial and positive economic impact aviation repair stations have on the U.S. economy, highlights the important role Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreements (BASAs) play in ensuring competitiveness, and discusses the negative impact the present ban on new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) foreign repair station certificates is having on U.S. companies.
As one of the United States’ leading exports, aviation maintenance contributes $39.1 billion annually to the U.S. economy and maintains a $2.4 billion positive balance of trade. This trade surplus makes the United States the world’s leading exporter of maintenance services with the more than 4,000 FAA certificated U.S. repair stations employing more than 274,000 Americans in all 50 states. A recent survey of ARSA members found that the industry is optimistic about growth prospects in the coming year with more than 60 percent of respondents planning to add workers in 2012.
“Repair stations have long been, and continue to be, a vital part of the aviation industry and our nation’s economy. As the U.S. economy recovers, we should be nurturing small and medium-sized aviation maintenance companies, not obstructing their ability to export and compete internationally,” reads ARSA’s statement
Buy Direct and Save $$$ – All of our lighting fixtures ship factory direct to your facility. Call sales toll-free (1-844-533-7767)