FAA Under Pressure to Speed Up Certification Process
February 10, 2014
The DOT assistant inspector general, Jeffrey Guzzetti, testified in front of the House Aviation Subcommittee regarding the FAA certification and regulation processes. Guzzetti stated that there is a backlog of over 1,000 applications for air operator and repair station certificates which is largely the result of the FAA’s failure to have a streamlined process in place. At present, applications are dealt with on a first-come, first-served basis. The problem with this approach is that if a complex application is ahead of a less complicated one, the less complicated one is significantly delayed, even though it might be more efficient to clear that one first. The FAA is currently looking into ways to streamline the process.