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The Aviation Innovation and Global Competitiveness Act was introduced on Friday in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, which should improve predictability and transparency in the aircraft certification process.
The bipartisan bill is meant to streamline certification review standards at the FAA, including the certification of advanced air mobility aircraft. It was first announced in Sept. 2025 to give the FAA time consider the merits of AAM applications ahead of commercialization and better integrate AAM aircraft into U.S. airspace, according to Newsweek. The act would create reliable timelines for the issue paper process so that applicants will know how long reviews are expected to last and reduce uncertainty and delays in the process, according to NBAA.
The bill would also define when an issue paper is required during the certification process, so additional review steps will only occur for unique and complex issues. How the FAA delegates its standard compliance tasks to others will be more regulated and the agency will be required to report to certain congressional committees on how it is improving the certification process.
The Gulfstream G700 is one aircraft that has been delayed multiple times throughout its certification process. It was first announced in 2019 but was only certified in 2024. The process took longer and cost General Dynamics, the parent company of Gulfstream, more than expected for multiple reasons, including the decision to induct the aircraft into its completion centers before installing engines. Typically, the aircraft systems and engines are tested before the final work begins on the plane. Skipping this step caused more issues later.
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The Senate legislation is co-sponsored by Sens. Peter Welch (D-VT), Ted Budd (R-NC), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), John Curtis (R-UT) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). The companion bill in the House is co-sponsored by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls (R-22-TX), Ranking Member Andre Carson (D-7-IN) and AAM Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-8-CA) and Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-20-CA).
"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 Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO. "The market for AAM in the U.S. is expected to reach $115 billion annually by 2035, potentially creating almost 300,000 jobs, and this legislation is critical to ensuring the U.S. aerospace industry remains a global leader."