Import readiness
Aircraft import records review
An aircraft import records review checks whether an asset's records meet the importing authority's requirements before it is brought onto a new register. It is run by or for the importing owner, lessor, or operator ahead of import. It examines the export airworthiness approval from the exporting state, the importing authority's special requirements, AD bridging onto the importing directive set, and configuration acceptability. You receive an import-requirements gap list, a bridged AD view for the importing authority, and the evidence each open item needs to clear import.
When this review is needed
- An aircraft is being imported and the importing authority has published special requirements.
- An export airworthiness approval has been issued and its statements need checking against the records.
- The importing directive set differs from the exporting one and bridging is required.
- A configuration accepted by the exporting state needs confirming for the importing authority.
The problem
Import puts the records in front of an authority that did not oversee the aircraft's history. The importing authority publishes special requirements the asset has to satisfy, and those requirements reach into AD bridging, configuration, and the maintenance program the aircraft was operated under. An export airworthiness approval may carry exceptions that the importing side has to accept and address. When these requirements are checked late, the import stalls while evidence is gathered for an aircraft already committed to a delivery date.
What gets reviewed
- The export airworthiness approval and any exceptions or limitations it states
- The importing authority's special requirements for the type and configuration
- AD bridging from the exporting directive set to the importing one
- Configuration and approval basis acceptable to the importing authority
- Authorized release certificates and their acceptance on import
- The maintenance program history relevant to import acceptance
Scope this review
Tell us the asset, the event, and the evidence in scope, and we will outline a focused first engagement.
Send a representative, redacted record set and we will scope the review.
What gets validated
- The export airworthiness approval is present and its exceptions are identified and addressed
- Each importing special requirement is mapped to records evidence or flagged as open
- AD status is bridged onto the importing directive set with applicability resolved
- The installed configuration carries an approval basis the importing authority accepts
- Component releases meet the importing authority's acceptance criteria
- Maintenance-program history supports the import without unexplained gaps
Evidence normally required
- Export airworthiness approval from the exporting state
- The importing authority's published special requirements for the type
- AD status report from the exporting register
- Configuration and modification status with approval references
- Release certificates and maintenance-program records
Common discrepancies
- Special requirements that translate into maintenance actions not yet recorded
- An export approval carrying exceptions the importing side must address
- Directives mandatory on the importing register that were not on the exporting one
- An installed configuration without an approval basis the importing authority will accept
- Component releases the importing authority does not accept as presented
- Maintenance-program history gaps that complicate import acceptance
What is at stake
An import held up on records leaves the asset unable to be placed on the new register and unable to earn. Special requirements discovered after the aircraft arrives can mean unplanned maintenance or document recovery from the exporting side, both of which are slower once the export is complete.
How the work runs
Read the special requirements
Establish the importing authority's published special requirements for the type and configuration being imported.
Check the export approval
Confirm the export airworthiness approval is present and identify any exceptions that become import open items.
Bridge the directives
Restate AD status onto the importing directive set and resolve applicability differences from the exporting register.
List for import
Produce the gap list against the importing requirements with the evidence each open item needs to clear.
What the buyer receives
- An import-requirements gap list keyed to the importing authority's special requirements
- A bridged AD view restated for the importing directive set
- An export-approval exception summary with the evidence each open item needs
Who uses the output
- Importing owners and lessors planning the placement
- Continuing-airworthiness teams preparing the asset for the importing authority
- Transaction stakeholders timing import to the delivery schedule
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review runs before the aircraft is imported so special requirements and AD bridging are resolved against the records ahead of arrival. It pairs with the exporting side's approval and feeds the importing authority's acceptance package.
Start with a single asset
Start with a single tail and expand once the workflow is proven.
Aircraft-specific considerations
Importing special requirements are type and configuration specific. An aircraft with non-standard modifications or repairs draws more import scrutiny, so the review concentrates on the approval basis for those items against what the importing authority will accept.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
An export airworthiness approval is the exporting state's statement, and the importing authority decides what it accepts. Exceptions noted on the export side become the importing side's open items, and the importing directive set governs once the aircraft is on register.
Regulatory limits
The review reports readiness against the importing authority's requirements. It does not import the aircraft, issue a certificate of airworthiness, accept the asset on the importing authority's behalf, or determine AD applicability. Those acts remain with the authorities.
What this review does not cover
- Filing the import or registration with the importing authority
- Issuance of a certificate of airworthiness on import
- Physical inspection or return-to-service tasks
Specific to this review
- The importing authority publishes special requirements the asset must satisfy, and these often translate into recorded maintenance actions rather than paperwork alone.
- An export airworthiness approval can carry exceptions that move to the importing side as open items to resolve before placement.
- AD bridging on import is governed by the importing directive set, so a directive not mandatory at export can become mandatory once the aircraft is on the new register.
Sources
U.S. Government (eCFR). Type certificates, STCs (Subpart E), TSO authorizations (Subpart O), PMA (Subpart K), and export airworthiness approvals (Subpart L).
U.S. Government (eCFR). Export airworthiness approval requirements and special requirements of an importing authority.
U.S. Government (eCFR). The legal basis for issuing and enforcing Airworthiness Directives on U.S.-registered products.
International Civil Aviation Organization. International standards for the airworthiness of aircraft and the framework states use for type and continuing airworthiness.
European Union / EASA. EASA design and production certification, STCs, ETSO authorizations, and EASA Form 1 release.
Frequently asked questions
Is an export approval enough to import the aircraft?
No. The export airworthiness approval is the exporting state's statement, and the importing authority decides acceptance against its own special requirements. The review checks the records against those requirements, not the export approval alone.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
Talk to an engineer who has done this work
We will walk through your current state, the records or evidence involved, and a scoped first engagement.
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