Aviation Safety: FAA and the State Department Can Better Manage Foreign Enforcement Cases

006473191994PDFResearch PaperGAO/RCED-94-87AirlinesAirworthinessAviation safetyRegulationsInternational compactsInternational transportationAirspace (Law)Aviation regulationsEnforcementForeign air carriersInternational air safety regulationsUnited States. Government Accountability OfficeNTL-AVIATION-AVIATIONNTL-AVIATION-Aviation Laws and RegulationsNTL-AVIATION-Aviation Safety/AirworthinessNTL-LAWS AND REGULATIONS-Federal Standards and RulesUS Transportation CollectionTo create a framework for international cooperation in developing civil aviation, representatives of the United States and 51 additional countries signed the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation, commonly called the "Chicago Convention," and created the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As of April 1993, ICAO had 178 member countries. In accordance with the Convention, member countries control their airspace and agree to (1) comply with international safety standards and (2) ensure that their aircraft honor other countries' regulations. As a result, U.S. aircraft must comply with foreign countries' regulations when in foreign airspace, and foreign aircraft must comply with U.S. regulations when in U.S. airspace. Congress directed the General Accounting Office (GAO) to determine whether: (1) foreign governments acted on enforcement cases that FAA referred to them and, conversely, FAA acted on enforcement cases that foreign governments referred to it; (2) FAA had identified enforcement system weaknesses in its assessments of foreign countries' compliance with international safety standards; and (3) DOT acted against foreign air carriers that violated departmental aviation regulations. This report is the result of the GAO review of FAA and DOT procedures and records