By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it wants to require aviation-repair stations in foreign countries to conduct drug and alcohol testing for employees performing safety-sensitive maintenance functions for U.S. airlines.
The FAA said few countries require testing of aviation or maintenance personnel.
The proposed rule would impact approximately 977 repair stations in 65 countries and ensure that “employees are held to the same high level of safety standards regardless of where they are physically located.”
The FAA has been considering the issue for decades and Congress previously directed the agency to set the requirements.
Aviation unions for years have called for testing for maintenance functions that are outsourced to repair stations outside the United States.
Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen
said the proposal will close a “big safety gap … Airline mechanics in China and other lower-wage, lower-standard countries who work on U.S. commercial aircraft will have to undergo drug and alcohol testing – just like mechanics here.”
The group said that since 2017, the U.S. airline industry has eliminated more than 5,000 U.S. mechanic jobs, while creating 35,000 mechanic jobs in foreign countries.
The FAA said some argue U.S.-based maintenance facilities “are operating at an economic disadvantage as maintenance facilities abroad are not required to subject employees to drug and alcohol testing and, therefore, are essentially circumventing the associated costs to maintain a testing program.”
Airlines for America, which represents the largest U.S. airlines, declined immediate comment.
Airlines have said previously that privacy and employment laws in foreign countries could conflict with U.S. drug and alcohol testing requirements. The FAA said airlines could seek a waiver of the requirements for specific foreign repair stations if they cannot comply for domestic reasons.
The FAA said the rule would boost safety by deterring substance abuse by safety-sensitive aviation employees and is estimated to cost carriers $102.3 million over five years.
It will be open for public comment until early February.
(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Bernadette Baum and Matthew Lewis)
