Congress Wants FAA to Simplify Electric Air Taxi Certification

Proposed act would ‘streamline’ type certification for AAM aircraft.

Jack Daleo

Monday, February 16, 2026 at 04:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Wisk Aero’s autonomous Generation 6 electric air taxi completes its maiden sortie in December. [Credit: Wisk Aero]

Key Takeaways:

A bipartisan bill, the "Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act," has been introduced to streamline the FAA's type certification process for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft.
Key provisions include requiring the FAA to extensively use industry-developed consensus standards for airworthiness and providing manufacturers with clearer certification timelines.
The legislation aims to further simplify the process by defining when specific issue papers are required, establishing firm regulations for common topics, and allowing the outsourcing of routine certification tasks.
Widely supported by the aviation industry, the bill seeks to enhance U.S. competitiveness and accelerate the path to market for AAM developers.

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A bipartisan bill introduced Friday in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives would require the FAA to “streamline” its type certification process for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and other advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft. That could include the use of standards agreed upon by the developers themselves to prove the aircraft are fit to carry passengers.

Introduced in the Senate by Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and John Curtis (R-Utah) and in the House by Representatives Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), and Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.), the Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act contains an array of measures designed to simplify eVTOL air taxis’ path to market.