CAT II IASA Rating. Unless there are serious and immediate safety concerns about a specific carrier, a CAT II IASA rating does not normally result in the termination or reduction of flights to the United States by that country’s air carriers. In practice, its air carriers may continue to operate to the United States at current levels of service. (In the case of on-demand carriers, the process uses an analysis of the number of flights conducted over the last 12 months, prior to the date of the downgrade in category, to establish the pre-existing level of service.) However, since the foreign carrier’s CAA is not overseeing existing operations in accordance with minimum international standards, AFS will not normally approve additions or substitutions to the “OpSpecs” of carriers from IASA CAT II countries until the CAA regains CAT I status. This means essentially that a CAT II country is not permitted to increase the number of flights to the United States or to substitute aircraft in the existing fleet, although AFS will consider requests for substitutions of like aircraft (e.g., substitution of a Boeing 727-200 for a 727-200). In such cases, an exchange for same make and model of aircraft may be considered for maintenance purposes such as a heavy check or significant modification. In those limited cases, the particulars shall be submitted to the manager of AFS-50 for consideration and approval of such a substitution, while the carrier’s authority is under a CAT II country.
