WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation

Administration on Thursday proposed changes to modernize and

speed certification of new commercial airplanes and harmonize

regulations with Europe.

The FAA said by mirroring some requirements with the

European Union Aviation Safety Agency it would benefit

manufacturers by providing consistent requirements and reduce

the cost, time and complexity of certifications. The two

agencies have vowed to work more closely on safety and

certification.

The proposal could be a boost to manufacturers like Boeing ( BA )

, Airbus, Embraer ( EMBJ ) and Bombardier

.

Approvals for new airplane models can take years and require

substantial testing and data. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford

has pushed for reforms and disclosed earlier this year the

agency has a few projects working with industry "to see how they

can streamline the process."

The prior FAA head, Mike Whitaker, told Reuters in 2024 the

agency was looking at using better technology to streamline the

process.

Reuters first reported the FAA's planned changes in September,

disclosing the agency planned to reduce the number of

"exemptions, special conditions, and equivalent level of safety

findings required during the certification process."

The FAA said modernization of airworthiness standards will

cut the time for certifying and certification costs, while

maintaining or increasing safety.

Last week, the FAA and EASA said they were making

significant progress toward approving two new variants of the

Boeing 737 MAX for use. Boeing ( BA ) had hoped to get the 737

MAX 7 certified in 2022 but has faced a series of issues.

Deputy FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said the agency was

in the final stages of certifying the smaller MAX 7 and larger

MAX 10. EASA Executive Director Florian Guillermet said at a

safety conference that validating the MAX 10 for service is a

top priority for the ​agency.