Friedrichshafen, Germany – The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) today welcomed the progress achieved by the global general aviation community during AERO Friedrichshafen toward a more dynamic path to bring new aeroplanes and technologies to market.

"The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has provided draft regulations that will shape the design of small aeroplanes for the future, promising even greater safety and technological innovation," said Ed Smith, GAMA Senior Vice President of International and Environmental Affairs. "These new rules will shift the methods of design compliance from an outdated, prescriptive system into standards that are continually evolved by the world’s aviation experts."

During AERO, the global general aviation community met to develop the bulk of these new standards in cooperation with leading aviation authorities from around the world, as part of the ASTM International Standards body. EASA has indicated that this pioneering new structure will be in place by mid-2016.

"It is fitting that AERO hosts these ASTM International meetings, which represent a milestone in the process of revitalising the path for the design of general aviation aeroplanes,” Smith said. "As a result of these changes, we are on the cusp of a new era, where product development is limited only by the pace of technological innovation."