Just a thought but has anyone heard anything about any interest in this from the ICAO.
My understanding is that a downgrade from the FAA “only” causes problems for SA planes flying to the US and [if they downgrade because of everything not just maintenance standards] N reg flying here, but if the ICAO finds your no longer in accordance with their guidelines you are *
* - you can’t fly to or over a “compliant contracting state”.
After the Ansett debacle the ICAO I belive threatened CASA with this – CASA rewrote some Regs, the head resigned “due to industry criticism” and the smell coming from the CASA offices and Qantas was BAD.
I was going to say Australia was “saved” by “high level intervention” and wonder if SA has the same clout – but then realised that they do – if this in known in the States the anti apartheid lobby will be back out in force, after all the new SA is their success and any criticism of it will at some stage be spun into racism.
Anyone may correct me – if it’s someone like CAA Chief I won’t even argue