US Transportation Secretary Meeting With Boeing, GE CEOs on Aircraft Certification Reform Efforts

3-line summary

• US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is meeting with Boeing and GE CEOs to discuss efforts to reform new aircraft certification, according to Investing.com; Boeing and GE declined to comment, while Duffy's office confirmed the meetings with industry executives.
• Duffy said on September 30 he would speed up certification for new aircraft from manufacturers including Boeing, citing competitiveness against China; new aircraft certification typically takes more than five years with extensive testing, data, and documentation. Duffy warned that lengthy certification discourages private capital from investing in innovation, saying "If we can't move at a different pace in certification, we're going to lose." He cited the 737 MAX 7, which took over eight years to certify before approval in August, and the 777X, delayed more than five years past its original schedule.
• The FAA proposed changes in June to modernize and speed up commercial aircraft certification, and per a September Reuters report plans to reduce the number of exemptions, special conditions, and equivalent-safety-level findings required during certification. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said multiple projects are underway with industry to streamline procedures; the reform is expected to benefit Airbus, Embraer, and Bombardier as well as Boeing, and Duffy said the government also wants to speed innovation in commercial space.

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