The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) says it is continuing efforts to change a "harmful" provision in the FAA reauthorization bill that could damage U.S. relations abroad and put thousands of U.S. jobs at risk.

The reauthorization bill cleared the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in March with language that requires the FAA to conduct at least two annual inspections of Part 145 foreign repair stations used by U.S. airlines and already certified by the agency.

The U.S. Senate's version of the reauthorization bill also backs the twice-yearly inspections of foreign repair stations, but the Senate bill's authors "don't expect a problem with Europe" over the bill's language, suggesting Europe would be excluded from the inspection requirement.

AIA says the repair station provision jeopardizes the US-European Union bilateral air safety agreement signed in June 2008 in which the governments recognize inspections by their counterpart's aviation authority for local stations.

European governments have said they will respond in kind if the provision becomes U.S. law, impacting American repair stations that now rely on European business and threatening an estimated 130,000 jobs.

AIA is working with passenger airlines, aircraft manufacturers and repair stations to change the provision or remove it altogether.