The Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department (CAD) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Civil Aviation Directorate of Transport Canada (TCCA) in Hong Kong on Monday.

The MOU was known as the "Technical Arrangement on Aviation Maintenance" on mutual recognition of approvals of maintenance organizations in Hong Kong and Canada, according to a source from the Hong Kong government website.

Before they are allowed to maintain components of aircraft registered in a country, maintenance organizations are required to obtain approval from the aviation authority of that country and be subjected to the authority's regulations, audits and standards.

The MOU allows the civil aviation authorities of Hong Kong and Canada to recognize each other's approvals of maintenance organizations to maintain aircraft components.

This means that Hong Kong-based maintenance organizations can maintain aircraft components for Canada-registered aircraft without seeking additional approval from the TCCA. Likewise, maintenance organizations based in Canada can maintain aircraft components for Hong Kong-registered aircraft.

Acting Assistant Director-General of Civil Aviation of Hong Kong Tsang Yuk-poon, said, "Partnership between civil aviation authorities through mutual recognition will reduce duplication of approval and audit work by the authorities thus maximizing the utilization of resources of both the regulators and the industry.

In the end, such mutual recognition will improve the quality of aircraft maintenance through the use of common airworthiness standards."

Hong Kong also made similar mutual recognition arrangements on aircraft maintenance with the Mainland and Macao and with Singapore in 2002 and 2004 respectively.

(Xinhua News Agency December 6, 2005)