SHANGHAI, Nov 5 (Reuters): China's aviation safety regulator expects a recently signed aircraft certification agreement with the United States (US) to boost US market access for Chinese-made planes and aircraft parts.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in an e-mail to Reuters that an agreement it announced last month with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would widen "mutual recognition" of each country's aviation products.
It comes as Chinese planemaker Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) seeks overseas certification for its C919 and ARJ-21 jets to sell more planes abroad. Europe's aviation safety regulator said in April that it was in the process of certifying the C919.
The CAAC said the new agreement replaces a 1995 deal in which China had agreed to accept all US aviation products but the United States had agreed to accept only 23 small Chinese aircraft models and some plane parts. The latest agreement fulfils a commitment both countries made in 2005 and follows several years of talks, according to both regulators.
"The newly signed Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness realizes the full reciprocal recognition of aviation products between China and the US The scope of the agreement covers all types of aviation products and is meant to be comprehensive," it said.
Last Friday the FAA said the agreement, which took effect on Oct 17, allows "each authority to leverage approvals completed by the other with respect to design, production, and airworthiness".
The agreement does not guarantee automatic recognition of each other's certification procedures, the CAAC said, adding that approvals would depend on the products and that some accreditation reviews would still be needed.
