Aligned aircraft certification standards will enable safe and efficient rollout across the countries

WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration and four other regulators are collaborating on advanced air mobility (AAM) certification to enable a safe and efficient rollout of these aircraft across the countries.

“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in aviation as we work to integrate new technologies safely into the NAS,” said FAA Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau. “Enabling the integration of new entrants is a priority and we’re committed to doing whatever we can to foster innovation while also staying true to our safety mission.”

What we’re doing: The FAA and aviation authorities from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom developed a Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification. It aims to align the countries’ AAM airworthiness and certification standards by sharing data, research, and safety information. The authorities signed a Declaration of Intent committing to the Roadmap principles.

Why it’s important: The Roadmap principles will foster collaboration, promote technological innovation, and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across these countries, which are members of the National Aviation Authorities Network. Collaboration on current AAM type certification projects will enhance this work.

Why it’s needed: Traditional aircraft are type certified in the country of design using internationally accepted standards. Other countries then validate the aircraft against these standards before the aircraft can be operated there. 

However, differences in AAM certification standards are emerging across the world. This roadmap acknowledges these differences and provides a framework to harmonize standards to streamline validation and safe entry of AAM aircraft into multiple markets. This effort is safety-focused and innovation-driven and supports the industry’s desire to manufacture aircraft that can meet the certification criteria of multiple countries.

Future collaboration: The challenges of certifying AAM aircraft are not unique to these five countries, and we intend to broaden this cooperation to include other countries as part of a truly global collaborative effort.