US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6982

UNCLAS ANKARA 006982 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB/TRA/OTP-BMATTINGLEY AND EUR/SE 
PARIS FOR TSA 
BRUSSELS FOR FAA 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAIR, TU 
SUBJECT:  FAA PRESSES GOT ON AIR SAFETY OVERSIGHT 
 
Ref:  BRUSSELS BE 4914 
 
Sensitive But Unclassified.  Please Handle Accordingly. 
 
1. (SBU) In December 7 meetings with Transport and 
Communications Ministry officials, John Barbagallo, FAA 
Technical Branch Manager, and Kurt Edwards, Senior 
Representative, urged the Turks to take steps to cut 
turnover of air safety inspectors, a key U.S. concern 
with respect to Turkish civil aviation oversight.  FAA 
also reiterated its standing offer to provide training 
once the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) 
builds a sufficient cadre of experienced inspectors. 
 
2. (SBU) Director General of Civil Aviation Topa Toker 
and Director of Flight Standards Haydar Yalcin told us 
that the Transport and Communications Minister and 
other interested ministries supported draft legislation 
designed to address this problem.  At the time of the 
meeting, the Prime Ministry was reviewing the bill. 
Toker told us the goal was for the GOT to submit the 
legislation to parliament in mid-December. 
 
3. (SBU) The key benefit of the bill is that it would 
permit DGCA to increase hiring as well as salaries. 
Inspectors currently earn a tiny fraction of the 
salaries on offer in the private sector, which is 
currently experiencing rapid growth.  Under the bill, 
DGCA would remain under the authority of the Transport 
Minister, but with financial autonomy.  Toker told us 
that he would have preferred legislation removing DGCA 
from the Ministry altogether, but that the arrangement 
contemplated by legislation was still a great 
improvement over the current situation.  Yalcin 
predicted that if, as expected, parliament acts 
relatively quickly, DGCA would need several months to 
reorganize and would then be able to send inspectors to 
training in the second half of 2005. 
 
4. (SBU) In a separate meeting, Acting Transport and 
Communications Undersecretary Mehmet Kutlu made similar 
points.  Kutlu explained that, despite strong 
ministerial support for the legislation, it had been 
held up until parliament passed a public sector reform 
law earlier in 2004.  The current bill would enable 
hiring of foreign oversight staff, and allow DGCA to 
offer salaries about twice as high as those paid to 
equivalent civil service employees.  Kutlu told us that 
the Ministry would hire 27 new staff in connection with 
the EU accession process and could make some of those 
new positions available to DGCA to strengthen aviation 
oversight.  Kutlu emphasized that Turkish Airlines is 
maintaining high standards in aircraft maintenance and 
airworthiness. 
 
5. (U) Embassy will follow up with DGCA and MFA 
officials on this legislation. 
 
6. (U) FAA Senior Representative cleared this message. 
EDELMAN