FAA ISSUES NPRM ON AIRPLANE FUEL EFFICIENCY CERTIFICATION
July 1, 2022
On June 15, 2022, the FAA issued a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) that if adopted would create fuel efficiency requirements for the certification of certain aircraft. FAA’s NPRM is a next step in the United States’ ongoing Aviation Climate Action Plan, which includes a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions from the U.S. aviation sector by 2050. The proposed rule would apply to all large commercial aircraft that operate in U.S. airspace and would specifically require more fuel efficiency for new subsonic jet aircraft and large turboprop and propeller aircraft that are not yet certified and implement fuel efficiency requirements for all aircraft manufactured after January 1, 2028. Some commercial aircraft that will be required to meet the proposed standards include the upcoming Boeing 777-X, future versions of the 787 Dreamliner, the Airbus A330-neo, the ATR 72, and business jets such as the Cessna Citation and Viking Limited Q400. The proposed rule does not apply to aircraft that are already in service.
According to the FAA, civil aircraft such as the ones listed above were responsible for 10% of domestic transportation emissions and 3% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. FAA also stated that the fuel efficiency requirements would implement the emissions standards adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) in its January 11, 2021, Final Rule.
The FAA is accepting public comments on the NPRM until August 15, 2022.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6622) or Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com 202-659-6665).
*Editor’s Note: We would like to give special thanks to Summer Intern, Thiseas Efthymiou for his contributions to this month’s posts.
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