Malliotakis, NY Colleagues, TWU Push for Airplane Maintenance in America, Not China, To Protect Fliers & U.S. Jobs

(QUEENS, NY) - Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) today joined members of the New York Congressional delegation, Transport Workers Union (TWU) International President John Samuelsen and Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMT) to push Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would establish global airline maintenance standards and protect American jobs.

Specifically, the Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act (H.R.1716), which has strong bipartisan support, would create one level of safety for aircraft maintenance work by establishing:

In July, the House passed this legislation as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, however, the Senate has not taken it up. 

"Enhancing aviation safety and encouraging good-paying jobs on U.S. soil is a top priority of ours and it should be for the entire Congress and the Biden Administration," Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said. "The Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act will stop the bleeding of American maintenance jobs to foreign countries like China and give passengers and flight crews peace of mind, knowing the best practices and safety standards are being met."

"The offshoring of U.S. air carrier aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul work is a dirty little secret of the airline industry," said TWU International President John Samuelsen. "This double standard has the potential to jeopardize the safety of the flying public and flight crews, and forces American workers to compete against cutthroat foreign facilities and their workers who are not required to meet rigorous U.S. standards. The TWU has long been a leader in the fight to stop this despicable practice, and we are proud to have the support of Reps. Malliotakis, Molinaro, D’Esposito and LaLota in this effort."

There are more than 900 FAA-certified maintenance and repair stations outside the United States, but those foreign facilities are not required to meet the same standards as their U.S. counterparts. The number of these facilities has grown by more than 30% in the past four years in countries all across the globe, including China, Singapore, Brazil, Thailand, Costa Rica and El Salvador.

"The FAA has certified nearly one thousand foreign maintenance facilities that service American aircraft. These foreign based facilities, however, are held to a lower safety standard, offshoring jobs that can be done in America," said Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19). "Our bill establishes a global safety standard for maintenance facilities so the highest level of aircraft safety standards are upheld and removes the incentive to move maintenance jobs overseas. We can enhance safety and encourage quality high paying jobs here at home."

"The U.S. has the safest air transportation system in the world thanks to multiple layers of safety, highly skilled and certified workers, and rigorous standards that have been tried and tested over time,"said Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (NY-04). "Closing the loopholes that allow foreign repair stations to undermine our safety standards and force U.S. workers to compete in an uneven market just makes sense."

"We must do everything we can to support American workers, create more jobs at home, and uphold the highest quality travel and safety standards. We must ensure a level playing field for American workers and prevent outsourcing whenever possible," said Rep. Nick LaLota (NY-01). "The Global Aircraft Maintenance Safety Improvement Act will provide fairness for American workers and ensure one high standard of safety across this industry. I look forward to working with my colleagues to guarantee we put American workers first."

American mechanics, technicians, and pilots have been alarmed by poor and incorrect maintenance on aircraft serviced at foreign facilities, including: