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 accelerate eVTOL air taxis’ path to market.
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), which endorsed the legislation, said it will “enhance transparency, predictability and accountability.”
“We thank congressional leaders for their leadership and support in providing U.S. aircraft manufacturers with transparency, consistency, and federal resources in connection with the type certification process,” said NBAA president Ed Bolen, who estimated the U.S. AAM market could be worth $115 billion by 2030, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process.
The bill is also endorsed by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA); Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA); Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI); General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA); and leading U.S. air taxi companies Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation, and Beta Technologies, as well as Boeing and its air taxi subsidiary, Wisk Aero.
The bill aims to accelerate the type certification process for these manufacturers, which for some has been arduous.
Archer and Joby announced in 2021 that the FAA-approved certification bases for their respective air taxis in the form of G-1 issue papers, which describe the specific airworthiness and environmental standards they must meet. Both had to double back when the FAA modified the type certification process for eVTOL models the following year. They received certification bases under the new framework in 2024.
Beta received FAA approval for its certification basis last year, opting to wait for the July release of an advisory circular containing guidance for eVTOL type, production, and airworthiness certification. Wisk in late 2024 said the FAA accepted its G-1 Stage 2 issue paper.
All four manufacturers, however, are awaiting FAA approval of their G-2 issue papers, which will describe how the aircraft must show compliance with those previously approved certification bases. That process—which includes for-credit flight testing with FAA pilots in the cockpit—could be heavily impacted by the newly introduced legislation.
What It Means for Air Taxis
The FAA’s 2024 special federal aviation regulation (SFAR) on pilot training and initial operations for eVTOL air taxis alludes to the possibility of using industry developed consensus standards as the means of complying with FAA-approved certification bases. The Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act goes much further, directing the FAA to use them to the “maximum extent possible.”
Essentially, that would give the developers of air taxis a significant say in how the FAA signs off on their airworthiness.
The legislation also asks the FAA to give manufacturers more clarity on the timeline of their certification projects. It would direct the regulator to estimate its response time to issue papers, including G-1s and G-2s, within 270 days of passage.
In doing so, the FAA would need to coordinate with trade groups representing AAM type certification applicants, as well as infrastructure providers representing the airports that will one day accommodate the aircraft. It would have to report annually to Congress on its progress implementing those timelines.
Another provision calls for the FAA to define when an issue paper is required—or not. Per the NBAA, doing so would ensure that “only novel or complex issues trigger additional review steps, rather than routine matters,” further streamlining the process.
At the same time, the bill calls on the agency to create firm regulations for topics that are “commonly addressed” in issue papers, special conditions, special airworthiness criteria, or findings on equivalent level of safety. That could eliminate the need for manufacturers to submit at least some of these documents, as they would instead be covered under longstanding policy.
One more key provision would permit the FAA to outsource “routine” type certification tasks to delegated organizations—individuals and companies qualified and overseen by the regulator. The idea here would be to allow the agency to allocate its limited resources toward safety-critical tasks, letting others handle the more basic steps.
The bill comes amid a whole-of-government push to cement U.S. leadership in AAM technology.
President Donald Trump in June issued an executive decree that, among other things, created the eVTOL and AAM Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). The eIPP, which could begin this summer, will span three years and comprise at least five projects. During the program, the FAA is expected to permit operations at airports, with passengers, and—in certain cases—for revenue. That will give the regulator its clearest picture yet of the form future AAM operations could take.
The FAA will also coordinate with other federal agencies as outlined in the Transportation Department’s AAM National Strategy. The blueprint sets targets for specific actions the government could take to accelerate the path to market for U.S. AAM developers.