Exclusive-EU aviation regulator to allow FAA to observe its plane audits

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By Joanna Plucinska and Thomas Seythal

BERLIN (Reuters) -Europe’s aviation regulator will propose next week that its U.S. counterpart, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), acts as an observer on safety audits including those of Airbus planes, its chief told Reuters on Tuesday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Berlin Aviation Summit, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) new director, Florian Guillermet, said he will be in Washington next week for talks with the FAA.

The aim of the proposal is to be granted reciprocal arrangements with FAA audits of Boeing planes and to increase information sharing more broadly. The two regulators will not go as far as performing joint audits of aircraft.

The plans show how the recent safety crisis at U.S. planemaker Boeing is changing the way aircraft production is regulated.

In March the EU watchdog threatened to suspend its indirect approval of Boeing jet production.

Guillermet said on Tuesday that he was aware of the steps being taken by the FAA to ensure that Boeing improves safety and quality after a door panel blew out during a Jan. 5 flight on a new 737 MAX 9 operated by Alaska Airlines.

“We have visibility on how this action plan is being rolled out. From our expert standpoint, this goes in the right direction,” he said.

(Reporting by Joana Plucinska and Thomas SeythalWriting by Josephine MasonEditing by Kirsten Donovan and David Goodman)