WRITTEN QUESTION E-0347/02

by Mario Borghezio (NI) to the Commission

(12 February 2002)

Subject: Air safety and illegal trading in used spare parts

It has emerged from an investigation carried out in Italy that a huge trade in recycled used spare parts for civil aircraft is going on under the auspices of the Panaviation company, and it is reported that such parts are still available for purchase via the Internet.

There is apparently even a possibility that certain serious air crashes which have occurred recently were caused through the use of used or unsuitable parts for which a forged certificate had been issued.

What urgent action is the Commission intending to take in order to ensure that national and international civil-aviation monitoring bodies carry out appropriate checks promptly in order to ascertain from the airlines which aircraft have been fitted with spare parts or other equipment of dubious origin, so that steps can be taken to prevent those aircraft from being used to operate civilian flights from any European airport?

Does the Commission not also think that an investigation into the above-mentioned illegal trade should be carried out throughout Europe?

Joint answerto Written Questions E-0347/02, E-0378/02 and E-0540/02given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(4 April 2002)

The problem of non-standard spare parts is an issue the American aeronautical authorities are already well-acquainted with; to tackle this problem, they have in the past launched various initiatives which have been taken over by several European aeronautical authorities.

Given this background, the announcement by the Italian police that Airbus A300 components resulting from the cannibalisation of out-dated aircraft had been seized, implicating three companies (Panaviation, New Tech Italia and New Tech Aerospace), is to be deplored although it did not come as a surprise.

The main components of aircraft are subject to a certification procedure and their lifespan is often limited (either in time or in terms of flight hours). Aircraft components are also documented so that their origin and history can be traced.

Unfortunately, as in any sector where important financial interests are at stake, falsification is possible. Indeed, the prices of aircraft components are such that illegal trading in non-certified spare parts or parts salvaged from out-dated aircraft can prove very lucrative.

The problem is therefore very real and aviation authorities are aware of this. Consequently, the Commission will take particular care to ensure that, when the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is set up, certification procedures for aircraft components take particular account of the falsification issue.

This will consist in a detailed review of Part 21 (aircraft and spare parts certification) of the existing Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) procedures, which will form the basis for the rules on implementing the EASA that the Commission will be drawing up.

The Commission is determined not to allow air security to be weakened in this way. This cannot, however, be a substitute for the efforts the Member States should be making, since it is they that have the penal powers in the fight against the falsification of certified parts and of documents in general.