Commercial airlines can’t take delivery of 787s until the plane is certified by aviation authorities. The Federal Aviation Administration is the primary party to grant certification for planes built in the U.S., though the European Aviation Safety Agency must also grant certification for any European-based carriers to take the plane.
The two authorities work closely together and usually grant certification to new models in quick succession, EASA Executive Director Patrick Goudou said today at a briefing in Paris. Goudou said he hoped the European and U.S. certifications would be close to simultaneous for the 787, adding it’s difficult to guess just when that will come because of the difficulties Boeing has had with the plane.