The FAA is looking at speeding up its certification process for new commercial aircraft.
The agency said it will submit plans to “modernize” certification standards for transport aircraft and propulsion systems by December. The changes are expected to streamline certification by paring back the number of “exemptions, special conditions, and equivalent level of safety findings required during the certification process,” which will in turn “reduce certification costs and time to certify new and changed products.”
The FAA said its proposals will maintain or increase safety.
The agency did not say exactly what conditions it plans to scale back or do away with.
The announcement comes as Boeing, the nation’s largest commercial aircraft manufacturer, struggles to secure certification for three long-delayed new types – the 737 Max 7, the 737 Max 10, and the 777X.
The Max 7 and Max 10 have faced problems with their engine de-icing systems. While most airlines that have placed orders for the types remain committed, others have voiced reservations about the 737 Max series’ safety and reliability, especially after the failure of a door plug on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 in 2024. Earlier this year, United said the airline is going to “at least build” a fleet plan that does not include the Max 10.
Boeing is hoping to get both types certified at some point next year.
Certification of the 777X has been held up by design and parts quality problems, as well as an “uncommanded pitch event” during a test flight in late 2020. The jet cleared a new certification stage in August, however, and Lufthansa, the aircraft’s launch customer, expects deliveries starting in 2026.
Late last year, then-FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker told Reuters that the agency was studying how improved technology could eventually reform and speed up aircraft certification. He resigned in January with the change in presidential administrations.
