June 18, 2026
NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen highlighted the urgent need for continued government-industry collaboration to keep pace with rapid aviation innovation in a fireside chat with FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau and EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet at the 2026 International Aviation Safety Conference this week.
Bolen moderated a panel with the two agency leaders, who detailed the enterprising ways government and industry are working together to foster continued innovation and investment in aviation, amid significant organizational change, and a rapidly shifting landscape.
As one illustrative example, the panelists pointed to the FAA’s expanded eVTOL and Advanced Air Mobility Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). To date, the eIPP has received 33 applications and has been approved for eight test sites covering 26 states, involving real-world operations, including cargo delivery and medical transport.
Both agencies view these programs as an important new testing model for validating new operational concepts before broader deployment of the new technologies.
Expanding on the same theme, Rocheleau emphasized that regulators and industry need an aligned approach for accelerating standards development for new technologies as they enter the airspace faster than traditional rulemaking can accommodate.
Similarly, Guillermet highlighted the potential of “direct submission” processes that would allow regulatory authorities to propose mature standards to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) without navigating lengthy procedural requirements.
Bolen also asked the panelists about how they are integrating artificial intelligence (AI) I into their work, saying “AI can be a blessing. It can be a curse, it can be a force multiplier, it can be a security risk,” and probing how they are addressing these challenges.
Rocheleau outlined AI applications across four areas at the FAA: safety data analysis, air traffic operations, rulemaking, and certification processes. Both agencies emphasized that AI could enhance safety oversight if deployed within clear regulatory frameworks.
Bolen concluded by asking both leaders to share the progress they hope to see a year from now.
Guillermet highlighted digitalization of regulatory processes and records in the EU, while Rocheleau outlined priorities including progress on eVTOL aircraft certification, the completion of a new air traffic control system, and meeting controller hiring and training goals.
Both leaders agreed that as the pace of aviation innovation accelerates, alignment on safety will remain the top priority for regulators and industry on both sides of the Atlantic.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.