Aircraft Certification: Comparison of U.S. and European Processes for Approving New Designs of Commercial Transport Airplanes

What GAO Found

GAO's comparative analysis found that activities and standards for certifying new designs of commercial transport airplanes are largely similar in the U.S. and Europe. The similarities stem from a U.S.-European Union (EU) 2008 bilateral agreement that helped harmonize their processes and allows the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to streamline verification of each other's safety certification approvals. While FAA and EASA continue to work toward greater harmonization, FAA is evaluating changes to its certification process to address investigative findings and legislative changes following the . . .