We want your feedback on a framework that will assist our recognition of a foreign State’s aircraft maintenance licensing system.
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This initiative - consistent with the initiatives outlined in the 2024 Aviation White Paper - is designed to help address the shortage of licensed aircraft maintenance engineers (LAMEs) by streamlining the issue of an Australia licence to LAMEs that are internationally qualified.
Under the proposal, if a foreign State is successfully assessed by us, it will be listed in the Part 66 Manual of Standards as a recognised State. From there, licence holders from that country can apply for recognition of their foreign licence to obtain an equivalent Australian Part 66 aircraft maintenance engineer licence.
Applicants from recognised States would still be required to meet other minimum requirements including English language proficiency, recency of experience, and knowledge of Australian aviation legislation.
We are seeking feedback on:
- the framework we are developing to assess a foreign State for recognition for Part 66 of CASR
- corresponding amendments to the Part 66 Manual of Standards (MOS).
At commencement, the Part 66 MOS is proposed to specify Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States of America as recognised States.
Additional countries are proposed to be assessed in a phased approach as we evaluate them against the framework and progressively add them into the Part 66 MOS. The consultation is also seeking your feedback on which additional countries should be prioritised.
Other initiatives
This initiative complements other strategies we have rolled out to attract and retain qualified aircraft maintenance personnel in Australia. New and innovative approaches include modular licensing and the reduction in resit timeframes for failed maintenance engineer exams.
We are also working with approved maintenance organisations (AMO) to provide interim arrangements which will enable an AMO to authorise foreign licence holders to certify maintenance in Australia while the licence holder seeks an Australian Part 66 licence.