Why It Matters
A new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report lays out the full complexity of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft certification, arriving as the Trump administration accelerates its push to get electric air taxis flying over American cities by 2028, and as China has already beaten the U.S. to the finish line on certifying its own designs.
The FAA has never certified anything quite like a powered-lift aircraft for mass commercial use. These electric vertical takeoff aircraft don't fit the regulatory categories built for conventional planes or helicopters, and the agency is adapting its framework in real time. The central tension: the administration wants commercial AAM operations demonstrated at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, but the FAA's certification process for a new aircraft type typically takes five to nine years. No AAM vehicle has yet received FAA certification.
Meanwhile, China's Civil Aviation Administration has already granted full certification for two AAM designs: a multirotor vehicle from EHang and a winged multirotor from AutoFlight. The FAA has not approved either for anything beyond experimental use in the United States.
The Big Picture
Congress formally defined Advanced Air Mobility in statute through the Advanced Air Mobility Coordination and Leadership Act (P.L. 117-203) in 2022, describing it as a transportation system using advanced technologies, including electric aircraft and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, to move people and property between two points in U.S. airspace. The concept, which originated in the private sector in 2016, envisions networks of vertiport hubs and smaller landing pads serving urban and regional routes of roughly 10 to 150 miles.
In July 2023, the FAA released Innovate28, its near-term implementation plan targeting initial AAM operations by 2028. That same month, the FAA issued a final rule updating air carrier regulations to allow passenger and cargo operations using powered-lift aircraft. In November 2024, it followed with permanent regulatory changes and a temporary Special Federal Aviation Regulation set to remain in force until 2035, creating a framework for powered-lift aircraft certification, pilot training, and flight operations.
The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63) added further requirements, directing the agency to publish a special final rule for AAM operations and to establish a powered-lift advisory committee to develop permanent, performance-based regulations. That committee's recommendations are expected to inform future rulemaking on electric, hybrid, and hydrogen propulsion certification.
In December 2025, the Department of Transportation released its national AAM strategy, a ten-year framework covering 2026 through 2036 that identifies needed changes to ground infrastructure, airspace management, and air traffic procedures.
The four U.S. companies most actively pursuing FAA AAM regulations compliance are Archer Aviation, Beta Technologies, Joby Aviation, and Wisk Aero, a Boeing subsidiary. Archer, Beta, and Joby are seeking certification for piloted aircraft with advanced automation intended for single-pilot operations. Wisk is pursuing certification for a fully autonomous aircraft capable of carrying four passengers with no pilot on board.
The CRS report notes a significant gap in the delegation structure: none of these companies currently hold Organization Designation Authorization, the program through which the FAA allows established manufacturers like Boeing and General Electric to oversee certain certification functions on the agency's behalf. That means the FAA is conducting more direct oversight of AAM certification than it typically does for mature aviation manufacturers, a resource-intensive posture that could affect timelines.
On the international front, the FAA and aviation authorities from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom issued a joint roadmap in April 2025 for AAM type certification, establishing a framework for harmonizing airworthiness requirements and streamlining approvals across participating countries.
Political Stakes
For the administration, AAM is both a technology competition issue and a domestic policy showcase. Executive Order 14307, signed in June 2025 under the title "Unleashing American Drone Dominance," directed the Department of Transportation and the FAA to establish an integrated pilot program for U.S.-built AAM aircraft. In March 2026, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced eight projects selected for that program, spanning air transport, medical response, cargo, and rural access applications. The administration's framing positions AAM as part of a broader contest with China over aerospace and technology leadership.
For congressional Republicans, the CRS report surfaces a tension between the administration's deregulatory instincts and the safety oversight demands of a novel aircraft category that will eventually fly passengers over densely populated areas. The report notes that Congress may consider options to relax certification requirements that industry views as impediments, including alternative means of compliance designed to offer equivalent safety levels. But it also notes that Congress may consider whether to apply or expand the stricter certification reforms passed after the Boeing 737 Max crashes — through the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act (Division V of P.L. 116-260) — to AAM aircraft.
For Democrats, the report's gaps on environmental considerations offer a line of inquiry. FAA certification does not address the handling and disposal of batteries or fuel cells used to power electric motors. The report notes that Environmental Protection Agency and Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations may apply to AAM development and production, but those are separate processes outside the certification framework.
For the public, the stakes are straightforward: these aircraft are being designed to fly over cities, and the regulatory infrastructure to ensure they do so safely is still being constructed.
The Bottom Line
Urban air mobility certification is a present question, with companies actively working through FAA processes and a two-year political deadline attached. The CRS report makes clear that the FAA is adapting existing regulatory frameworks to cover aircraft they were never designed to address, setting noise standards one applicant at a time, and doing so without the delegation infrastructure it relies on for conventional aviation.
Congress faces a choice that the report declines to resolve: whether to push the FAA to move faster and accept more regulatory flexibility, or to extend the post-737 Max safety architecture to a new class of aircraft before, not after, something goes wrong.
Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.