European Commission Opens Recruitment for EASA Board of Appeal Members
The European Commission published on 11 March 2026 a call for expressions of interest for candidates to serve as Chairperson, members, or alternate members of the EASA Board of Appeal. The Board of Appeal, established under Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 (the Basic Regulation), operates independently within EASA’s institutional structure and decides appeals against EASA certification, declaration, investigation, and fee decisions, as well as appeals against individual EASA decisions on the EU Flight Emissions Label. Inclusion on the Commission’s candidate list does not guarantee appointment, which rests with the EASA Management Board. The call is relevant to legal practitioners and aviation experts with regulatory adjudication experience. Applications must be submitted to the Commission by 31 May 2026.
EASA EPAS 2026 Addendum: SES2+ Implementation and Rules Simplification Added as Strategic Priorities
EASA published the European Plan for Aviation Safety (EPAS) 2026, 15th Edition (18 December 2025), which extends the Volume I strategic priorities framework to end-2026 via an addendum while a comprehensive revision is completed. Three new strategic priorities are introduced: (i) big data technologies for EU aviation safety risk management; (ii) rules simplification — with a package of regulatory simplification changes planned from 2026, aiming for completion by 2028, including reviews of Part-21, pilot licensing (Part-FCL), aerodrome rules, and UAS regulations; and (iii) SES2+ framework implementation. The SES2+ Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/2803), which entered into force on 1 December 2024, consolidates and modernises the Single European Sky framework; its inclusion in EPAS signals that EASA is now actively planning implementing measures. A fully revised EPAS applicable from 2027 is expected by end-2026. EU operators, MROs, and NAAs should note the rules simplification workstreams as a potential source of regulatory relief.
https://www.eurocontrol.int/news/eurocontrol-welcomes-entry-force-ses2-regulation
FAA and EASA Signal Transatlantic Harmonisation on AAM Certification as FAA Launches eIPP
On 9 March 2026, US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the FAA announced the eight projects selected for the Advanced Air Mobility and eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP), established under President Trump’s Unleashing Drone Dominance Executive Order. The selected consortia span 26 US states and cover urban air taxi operations, regional passenger transport, cargo logistics, emergency medical response, and autonomous flight. At VERTICON 2026 in Atlanta on 10 March, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford confirmed that eIPP operational data will be shared with EASA. EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet stated that EASA will review eIPP data for its own certification purposes and stressed that the path to EU AAM regulation must be “performance-based rather than prescriptive” and driven by real-world data from industry. The joint appearance of both agency heads was described as historically rare and is a significant signal for transatlantic AAM certification alignment. EU eVTOL manufacturers seeking FAA and EASA dual certification should monitor the data outputs from eIPP as a potential reference for both regulatory frameworks.
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