Artikel IV bis

1. Each Party may request consultations at any time concerning safety standards in any area relating to aircrew, aircraft of their operation adopted by the other Party. Such consultations shall take place within thirty days of that request.
2. If, following such consultations, one Party finds that the other Party does not effectively maintain and administer safety standards that are at least equal to the minimum standards established at that time pursuant to the Chicago Convention, the first Party shall notify the other Party of those findings and the steps considered necessary to conform with those minimum standards, and that other Party shall take appropriate corrective action. Failure by the other Party to take appropriate action within fifteen days or such longer period as may be agreed, shall be grounds for the application of Article VI of this Agreement.
3. Notwithstanding the obligations mentioned in Article 33 of the Chicago Convention it is agreed that any aircraft operated by the airline of one Party on services to or from the territory of the other Party may, while within the territory of the other Party, be made the subject of an examination by the authorised representatives of the other Party, on board and around the aircraft to check both the validity of the aircraft documents and those of its crew and the apparent conditions of the aircraft and its equipment (in this Article referred to as “ramp inspections”), provided this does not lead to unreasonable delay.
4. If any such ramp inspection or series of ramp inspections gives rise to:
a) serious concerns that an aircraft of the operation of an aircraft does not comply with the minimum standards established at that time pursuant to the Chicago Convention, or
b) serious concerns that there is a lack of effective maintenance and administration of safety standards established at that time pursuant to the Chicago Convention, the Party carrying out the inspection shall, for the purpose of Article 33 of the Chicago Convention, be free to conclude that the requirements under which the certificate or licence in respect of that aircraft of in respect of the crew of that aircraft had been issued or rendered valid, or that the requirements under which that aircraft is operated, are not equal to or above the minimum standards established pursuant to the Chicago Convention.
5. In the event that acces for the purpose of undertaking a ramp inspection of an aircraft operated by the airline of one Party in accordance with paragraph 3 above is denied by the representative of that airline, the other Party shall be free to infer that serious concerns of the type referred to in paragraph 4 above arise and draw the conclusions referred to in that paragraph.
6. Each Party reserves the right to suspend or vary the operation authorization of an airline of the other Party immediately in the event the first Party concludes, whether as a result of a ramp inspection, a series of ramp inspections, a denial of acces for ramp inspection, consultations or otherwise, that immediate action is essential to the safety of an airlines operation.
7. Any action by one Party in accordance with paragraphs 2 or 6 above shall be discontinued once the basis for the taking of that action ceases to exist.