G/TBT/N/USA/2023  
27 July 2023  
(23-5126) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:   
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) [2054]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  ], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], 3.2 [  ], 7.2 [  ], 
other  [X]: FAA plans to issue a policy statement stating that a proposed design change 
to a transport category airplane that would materially alter safety critical information 
would have an appreciable effect on the airplane's airworthine ss, and therefore would not 
qualify as a minor change.  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Aircraft 
type design changes; Quality (ICS code(s): 03. 120); Accident and disaster control (ICS 
code(s): 13.200); Aircraft and space vehicles in general (ICS code(s): 49.020)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft Policy 
Statement Regarding Classification of Type Design Chan ges That Would Materially Alter 
Safety Critical Information as Major Type Design Changes; (2 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  Notification of availability; request for comments by 25 August 
2023 - A draft policy statement would state that p roposed type design changes that would 
materially alter safety critical information have the potential to affect airworthiness, and 
therefore do not qualify as minor design changes.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where  
applicable:  Protection of human health or safety; Quality requirements  
8. Relevant documents:   
88 Federal Register (FR) 48142, 26 July 2023; Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
Parts 21 and 25:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2023-07-26/html/2023 -15853.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2023-07-26/pdf/2023 -15853.pdf  
This notice of availability; request for comments is identified by Docket Number FAA -
2023-1383. The Docket Folder is available from Regu lations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FAA -2023-1383/document  and provides access to 
primary and supporting documents as well as comments received. Documents are also G/TBT/N/USA/2023  
 
- 2 - 
 
  accessible from Regulations.gov  by sea rching the Docket Number. WTO Members and 
their stakeholders are asked to submit comments to the USA TBT Enquiry Point  by or 
before 4pm Eastern Time  on 25 August 2023. Comments received by the USA TBT Enquiry 
Point from WTO  Members and their stakeholders will be shared with the regulator and will 
also be submitted to the Docket  on Regulations.gov if received within the comment 
period.  
Notified separately - Classification of Type Design Changes That Would Materially Alter 
Safety Critical Information as Major Type Design Changes; notice of availability; request 
for comments published 26 July 2023:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2023-07-26/html/2023 -15821.htm  
https://w ww.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2023-07-26/pdf/2023 -15821.pdf  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  25 August 2023  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members .wto.org/crnattachments/2023/TBT/USA/23_11310_00_e.pdf