FAA proposes faster airplane certification with Europe to cut delays

The Federal Aviation Administration proposed a broad overhaul of how new commercial airplanes are certified, aiming to shorten approval timelines by aligning more closely with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency while preserving independent safety checks. The agency’s plan targets the thicket of exemptions, special conditions and equivalent-level-of-safety findings that can accumulate when aircraft makers must satisfy different U.S. and European requirements before a jet can enter service.

The FAA's Aircraft Certification Service includes more than 1,300 engineers, scientists, inspectors, test pilots and other safety professionals. The process runs through design review, ground tests, flight tests, operational suitability review and coordination with foreign regulators on import approvals. The agency also relies on Organization Designation Authorizations under strict oversight, and Congress has repeatedly told it to streamline the system without surrendering safety authority.

Two deadly Boeing 737 MAX crashes reshaped public expectations around oversight, and a 2022 Government Accountability Office review found that FAA and EASA certification systems are already largely similar because of a U.S.-EU bilateral agreement that took effect in 2011 after being signed in 2008. The same review found the FAA was examining changes after the MAX grounding, including broader use of technical advisory boards. Faster certification could help Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier, but it would also affect airlines and suppliers that build schedules around when a new aircraft model can actually be delivered and flown.

On June 18 in Chantilly, Virginia, the FAA and EASA pledged deeper cooperation on safety data, oversight and harmonized certification pathways. The meeting drew about 400 aviation professionals and carried the theme “Safety Together: Innovation, Integration and Trust.” Bryan Bedford took office on July 10, 2025, and FAA public testimony in December 2025 said he was committed to confronting risks with urgency, transparency and action.