VAI President and CEO François Lassale (left) and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford (center) listen as European Union Aviation Safety Agency Executive Director Florian Guillermet speaks during the VERTICON Liftoff and VAI Annual Membership Meeting and Breakfast on Mar. 9 at VERTICON 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. The three aviation leaders discussed key challenges and opportunities facing vertical aviation. (VAI/f-stop Photography) FAA, EASA leaders share vision for AAM harmonization at VERTICON 2026 By Mark Huber This morning’s VERTICON Liftoff and VAI Annual Membership Meeting and Breakfast began with a fireside chat hosted by VAI President and CEO François Lassale. At the event, Lassale discussed critical vertical aviation issues with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Executive Director Florian Guillermet. Lassale noted the rarity of the occasion. “It’s not often we have the opportunity to hear directly from the leaders of two of the most important aviation regulators in the world. The fact that they’re both here with us says a great deal about the importance of this moment and this industry,” Lassale remarked. At this pivotal juncture in the industry’s evolution, both agency leaders stressed the importance of regulatory harmonization; the contribution of industry partners, including VAI; and the vital role of rapid technological advancement in reshaping the vertical flight industry and civil aviation in its entirety, particularly airspace management. Bedford noted the prescient timing of his appearance, given the FAA’s announcement on Monday of the eight finalists selected for its three-year Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) Integration Pilot Program (eIPP). Data from the eIPP will be shared with EASA and used by the FAA and its local, state, and industry partners to regulate, scale, and build out nationwide AAM infrastructure to ensure safe integration of AAM vehicles in the US National Airspace System. Bedford stressed that the Trump administration is committed to AAM and sees eIPP as a method to “cut through the red tape and the bureaucracy” that could potentially slow innovation. “It’s taken a while for us to figure out how to integrate drones into air traffic operations, but it’s happening successfully,” Bedford said. “It’s also unlocking new ways we think about [air] traffic separation.” Bedford also noted, however, that the learning curve for certifying new vertical aviation vehicles is challenging, and that eVTOL manufacturers are sometimes unfamiliar with the requirements and workings of the FAA, which can risk “bringing the innovation process to a standstill.” Bedford said community engagement is key to AAM acceptance, especially the adoption of electrification. Guillermet said EASA would look at the eIPP data with interest and stressed that the key for promoting AAM in Europe is safety and transparency. Having good data, therefore, is “essential for the certification process,” he said. Guillermet also noted the importance of partnering with the industry to develop AAM regulations and adopt new technologies to advance airspace management. “I started my career in air traffic control, where we are still operating technologies from the 1970s and 1980s,” Guillermet said. “We know we need new technology. We’re starting to work on that.” Guillermet also emphasized that successful airspace management in an AAM world will require an examination of the entire ecosystem. “We are mindful of the global approach we need to take,” he said, “and are making sure we are being driven by data. If we want to move the system to be less prescriptive and more performance based, we all need to advocate for it. If we are very prescriptive, we have no chance to cope with the pace of innovation. But for that we need data, we need facts. And this data can only come from the industry.” Guillermet added that sharing that data with the FAA and EASA “is absolutely essential for the harmonization process.” “We shouldn’t be an agency that thinks we know everything,” Bedford said. “Partnering with industry is highly productive. It’s harder, but it’s absolutely critical to engage with industry collaboratively.” Mark Huber is an aviation journalist with more than two decades of experience in the vertical flight industry.
