FAA Lauds New, OEM-Centric MMEL Process

Chantilly, Virginia—The FAA’s updated, manufacturer-driven master minimum equipment list (MMEL) update process is in full swing, and the agency plans to introduce additional changes to further streamline the work. Eight MMELs have been produced using the new process, and three more are in the works, said Robert Reckert, deputy director of FAA’s Flight Standards Office of Safety Standards. “This process is about how to increase collaboration, increase efficiency and drive efficiency between industry and the FAA,” he said at the FAA/European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Safety Conference. Introduced in 2024 and titled the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)-Managed Flight Operations Evaluation Board Process, the new protocols give type certificate holders an alternative way to develop MMELs. Introduced more than 40 years ago, the current process sees the FAA take a manufacturer’s content and either produce or update MMELs. This often leads to bottlenecks and unnecessary delays. The alternative method, which is voluntary, shifts the administrative tasks to the OEM. The FAA still reviews and approves MMELs, but the manufacturer generates new lists and updates. “The OEM benefits by gaining more control over the timeline for publication of the MMEL,” the agency said in new inspector guidance issued in April. The FAA is wrapping up an industry notice that expands on the process and details how OEMs can adopt it. Also in the works are additional MMEL format options that more closely align with EASA and manufacturer best practices, as well as efforts to improve harmonization with other regulators. “We hope this will really give OEMs more flexibility when determining how to develop their MMEL and how to publish it, and how to streamline that MMEL evaluation process in the future,” Reckert said.