BULGARIA CIVAIR: FAA UPGRADES BULGARIA TO

UNCLAS SOFIA 000344

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

PASS TO EUR/NCE LAURA LOCHMAN, MARK TURNER, VALDA
VICKMANIS-KELLER
PASS TO EEB/TRA/OTB MEGAN WALKLET-TIGHE AND KRISTIN
GUSTAVSON
PARIS FOR FAA REP
FAA FOR AFS-50/API/AGC-7

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAIR ECON BU
SUBJECT: BULGARIA CIVAIR: FAA UPGRADES BULGARIA TO
CATEGORY 1

REF: STATE 44304


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: In a second round of discussions on May
21, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) upgraded
Bulgaria's Directorate General Civil Aviation Administration
(DGCAA) to Category 1 status, opening the possibility of
eventual direct flights between the United States and Sofia
by a Bulgarian air carrier or by a codeshare with a U.S. air
carrier. Category 1 status would also allow for the
Department of Defense (DOD) personnel on official travel to
use Bulgarian air carriers. The decision follows an initial
meeting in January (REFTEL) in which the FAA laid out
improvements necessary for the DGCAA to meet International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards. The decision
included clauses allowing for a follow-up visit within one
year, or in the event a Bulgarian air carrier applies to
provided service to the United States or codeshare with a
U.S. air carrier. The FAA agreed to Prime Minister
Stanishev's request to hold off making a public announcement
of the decision until his official visit to Washington in
mid-June. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the
Bulgarian Directorate General Civil Aviation Administration
(DGCAA) discussed issues concerning civil aviation safety
between the two countries on May 21, 2008. The formal final
discussions were a follow-up to the FAA's January 2008
International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA). At that
time, the FAA IASA team indicated that the Bulgarian DGCAA
was not in compliance with the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) standards for aviation safety in the
following areas: hiring and retaining qualified inspectors
to perform oversight activities; and developing and
implementing an airman licensing and operator certification
systems. The FAA team discussed possible corrective measures
with the DGCAA and urged Bulgarian officials to take prompt
action after the January IASA.


3. (SBU) During the final discussions in Sofia on May 21,
the FAA team reviewed the noted safety oversight deficiencies
and corrective measures taken since the January assessment.
The FAA team consisted of:

Dawn R. H. Veatch, Team Leader, Division Manager Flight
Standards, Southern Region
Michael Daniel, Manager Singapore IFO
Mark Bury, Associate Chief Counsel, AEU-7 (Legal)
Lirio Liu, FAA Senior Representative, US Embassy Paris

As Bulgaria is an European Union (EU) member, the FAA team
also invited a member of the European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA),Georges Rebender, as an observer.


4. (SBU) During the final discussions, the FAA Team
recommended upgrading the Bulgarian DGCAA to Category 1 -- in
compliance with ICAO aviation safety standards -- and FAA HQ
concurred. The FAA team and the DGCAA signed a "record of
discussions" on May 21, which was sent to FAA HQ in
Washington. Post expects a formal congratulatory letter from
FAA HQ that Post will give to the Bulgarian government in the
next few weeks. The "record of discussions" also includes
clauses allowing for a follow-up FAA visit within the next
year, or at the time when a Bulgarian air carrier applies to
provide service to the United States or codeshare with a U.S.
air carrier, to ensure that the DGCAA is maintaining Category
1 standards.


5. (SBU) On May 22, the FAA team formally presented the
"record of discussions" to Bulgarian Minister of
Transportation Petar Mutafchiev, Deputy Minister of
Transportation Krassimira Martinova and DGCAA Director
General Zahari Alexiev, informing them about the next steps
to upgrade to Category 1. No official press release was made
at the time. Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev requested that
FAA and Post hold the public FAA announcement until his trip
to Washington in mid-June.


6. (SBU) During their official out-brief, FAA team members
thanked Post for its efforts to keep pressure on Bulgarian
officials to meet ICAO standards. The team requested that
Post continue supporting the DGCAA, which has requested more

funding from the Bulgarian government to increase its staff
and employee salaries. They also noted that the FAA made its
decision to upgrade Bulgaria to Category 1 status before the
EU's expected official announcement that would remove
Bulgaria's "safeguard clause" on aviation safety.
Beyrle