FAA CERTIFIES ARGENTINA’S CATEGORY ONE SAFETY RATING
June 11, 2025
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Following an April 2024 audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) that uncovered 82 deficiencies in critical areas such as airworthiness, pilot licensing, and operational oversight issues, Argentina successfully retained its Category 1 Air Safety Rating after corrective action was undertaken by the country’s National Civil Aviation Administration (“ANAC”). As readers may recall, the FAA utilizes the International Aviation Safety Assessment Program (“IASA”) to evaluate aviation authorities of foreign countries whose airlines operate to the United States based on a two-tier safety rating system (i.e., Category 1 vs. Category 2). Carriers from Category 1 countries can initiate new service to the United States with their own metal and can participate in reciprocal codeshare arrangements with U.S. air carriers. In contrast, carriers from Category 2 countries are prohibited from initiating new service to the U.S. market and cannot codeshare with any U.S. air carrier. A downgraded safety rating, like the one Argentina faced, would significantly limit a foreign air carrier’s ability to serve the U.S. market. Given extensive ANAC mismanagement and delayed engagement with U.S. regulators, there were concerns that Argentina would be downgraded to Category 2 at which time Argentine carriers would be restricted to current levels of existing U.S. service. Fortunately, ANAC submitted documentation to the FAA showing that the 82 deficiencies were properly addressed, and it worked attentively with U.S. counterparts to retain the coveted Category 1 safety rating.
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