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TREATIES AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ACTS SERIES 12831

AVIATION 

Safety

Agreement Between the 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

and IRELAND

Signed at Dublin February 5, 1997
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NOTE BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Pursuant to Public Law 89–497, approved July 8, 

1966 (80 Stat. 271; 1 U.S.C. 113)—

‘‘. . . the Treaties and Other International Acts Series issued 

under the authority of the Secretary of State shall be competent 

evidence . . . of the treaties, international agreements other than 

treaties, and proclamations by the President of such treaties and 

international agreements other than treaties, as the case may be, 

therein contained, in all the courts of law and equity and of 

maritime jurisdiction, and in all the tribunals and public offices 

of the United States, and of the several States, without any further proof or authentication thereof.’’

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, 

Washington, D.C. 20402
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(1) TIAS 12831

IRELAND 

Aviation: Safety 

Agreement signed at Dublin February 5, 1997; 

Entered into force February 5, 1997.
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TIAS 12831

1TIAS 1591; 61 Stat. 1180.

AGREEMENT BETWEEN 

THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

AND 

THE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND 

FOR PROMOTION OF AVIATION SAFETY

The Government of the United States of America and the Government of Ireland, 

hereinafter referred to as the Contracting Parties,

Desiring to promote aviation safety and environmental quality,

Noting common concerns for the safe operation of civil aircraft,

Recognizing the emerging trend towards multinational design, production, and 

interchange of civil aeronautical products,

Desiring to enhance co-operation and increase efficiency in matters relating to 

civil aviation safety,

Considering the possible reduction of the economic burden imposed on the aviation industry and operators by redundant technical inspections, evaluations, and 

testing,

Recognizing the mutual benefit of improved procedures for the reciprocal acceptance of airworthiness approvals, environmental testing, and development of 

reciprocal recognition procedures for approval and monitoring of flight simulators, aircraft maintenance facilities, maintenance personnel, crew, and flight operations, and

Recalling each Contracting Party’s obligations under the Convention on International Civil Aviation done at Chicago on 7 December 1944,1

Have agreed as follows:
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TIAS 12831

ARTICLE I

PURPOSES

A. The Contracting Parties agree:

1. To facilitate acceptance by each Contracting Party of the other Party’s 

(a) airworthiness approvals and environmental testing and approval of 

civil aeronautical products, and (b) qualification evaluations of flight 

simulators;

2. To facilitate acceptance by each Contracting Party of the approvals and 

monitoring of maintenance facilities and alteration or modification 

facilities, maintenance personnel, crew, aviation training establishments, 

and flight operations of the other Party;

3. To provide for co-operation in sustaining an equivalent level of safety 

and environmental objectives with respect to aviation safety.

B. Each Contracting Party shall designate its civil aviation authority as the 

implementing authority for this Agreement. The United States of America 

designates the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the Department of 

Transportation. Ireland designates the Irish Aviation Authority.

ARTICLE II

DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this Agreement:

A. "Airworthiness approval" means a finding that the design or change to a 

design of a civil aeronautical product meets standards agreed between the 

Contracting Parties or that a product conforms to a design that has been 

found to meet those standards, and is in a condition for safe operation.

B. "Alterations or modifications" means making a change to the construction, 

configuration, performance, environmental characteristics, or operating 

limitations of the affected civil aeronautical product.

C. "Approval of flight operations" means the technical inspections and evaluations conducted by a Contracting Party, using standards agreed between the 
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TIAS 12831

Parties, of an entity providing commercial air transportation of passengers 

or cargo, or the finding that the entity complies with those standards.

D. "Civil aeronautical product" means any civil aircraft, aircraft engine, or propeller or subassembly, appliance, material, part, or component to be installed 

thereon.

E. "Crew" means pilots, flight engineers, flight radio operators, flight navigators and flight attendants.

F. "Environmental approval" means a finding that a civil aeronautical product 

complies with standards agreed between the Contracting Parties concerning 

noise and/or exhaust emissions. "Environmental testing" means a process by 

which a civil aeronautical product is evaluated for compliance with those 

standards, using procedures agreed between the Contracting Parties.

G. "Flight simulator qualification evaluations" means the process by which a 

flight simulator is assessed by comparison to the aircraft it simulates, in 

accordance with standards agreed between the Contracting Parties, or the 

finding that it complies with those standards.

H. "Maintenance" means the performance of inspection, overhaul, repair, 

preservation, and the replacement of parts, materials, appliances, or components of a product to assure the continued airworthiness of that product, but 

excludes alterations or modifications.

I. "Monitoring" means the periodic surveillance by a Contracting Party’s civil 

aviation authority to determine continuing compliance with the appropriate 

standards.

ARTICLE III

SCOPE

A. The Contracting Parties’ civil aviation authorities shall conduct technical 

assessments and work co-operatively to develop an understanding of each 

other’s standards and systems in the following areas:

1. Airworthiness approvals of civil aeronautical products;

2. Environmental approval and environmental testing;
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TIAS 12831

3. Approval of maintenance facilities, maintenance personnel, and crew;

4. Approval of flight operations;

5. Evaluation and qualification of flight simulators; and

6. Approval of aviation training establishments.

B. When the civil aviation authorities of the Contracting Parties agree that the 

standards, rules, practices, procedures, and systems of both Contracting Parties in one of the technical specialties listed in paragraph (A) of this Article 

are sufficiently equivalent or compatible to permit acceptance of findings of 

compliance made by one Contracting Party for the other Contracting Party 

to the agreed-upon standards, the civil aviation authorities shall execute 

written Implementation Procedures describing the methods by which such 

reciprocal acceptance shall be made with respect to that technical specialty.

C. The Implementation Procedures shall include at a minimum:

1. Definitions;

2. A description of the scope of the particular area of civil aviation to be 

addressed;

3. Provisions for reciprocal acceptance of civil aviation authority actions 

such as test witnessing, inspections, qualifications, approvals, and certifications;

4. Accountability;

5. Provisions for mutual co-operation and technical assistance;

6. Provisions for periodic evaluations; and

7. Provisions for amendments to or termination of the Implementation 

Procedures.
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TIAS 12831

ARTICLE IV

SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES

Any disagreement regarding the interpretation or application of this Agreement 

or its Implementation Procedures shall be resolved by consultation between the 

Contracting Parties or their civil aviation authorities, respectively.

ARTICLE V

ENTRY INTO FORCE, AMENDMENT, AND TERMINATION

This Agreement shall enter into force upon signature and shall remain in force 

until terminated by either Contracting Party. Either Contracting Party may notify 

the other Contracting Party that it is terminating the Agreement. Such notification 

shall be by way of diplomatic note and shall take effect sixty days after its 

receipt by the other Contracting Party. Such termination will also act to terminate 

all existing Implementation Procedures executed in accordance with this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended by exchange of diplomatic notes 

between the Contracting Parties. Individual Implementation Procedures may be 

terminated or amended by the civil aviation authorities.

ARTICLE VI

OTHER AGREEMENTS

If, after entry into force of the Agreement, the provisions of another agreement 

that addresses matters covered by this Agreement become applicable to the Contracting Parties, the Contracting Parties shall consult to determine the extent to 

which this Agreement should be revised to take into account the other agreement.
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TIAS 12831

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned, being duly authorised by their 

respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

DONE at Dublin, this 5th day of February 1997, in duplicate, each in the English 

language, both texts being equally authentic.

FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE FOR THE GOVERNMENT 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: OF IRELAND:

Jean Kennedy Smith Emmet Stagg