FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has indicated that the agency is willing to examine a possible route back to single-pilot operations for certain legacy Cessna Citation jets, although no policy change has been made. The proposal, discussed at NBAA-BACE 2026 in Las Vegas, would combine additional pilot training with a supplemental type certificate, potentially reducing the crewing burden for affected operators.
The discussion follows the FAA’s 29 September decision to stop issuing training exemptions and rescind existing approvals that had allowed qualified pilots to operate certain two-pilot-certified Citations alone. Affected models include the Citation and Citation I, Citation II, S/II, V, Ultra, Bravo, Encore and Encore+.
During the Meet the Regulators session, NBAA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Kristie Greco Johnson raised the training and certification concept. Bedford described it as worthy of further scrutiny but made clear that any alternative would have to provide at least an equivalent level of safety. The FAA has not announced formal review procedures, eligibility criteria or a timetable for regulatory relief.
The agency’s action followed a review that identified incomplete records, training-provider noncompliance, improper checks and falsified records. It also cited an 18-year accident comparison indicating that affected single-pilot-operated Citations had approximately twice the accident rate of comparable Part 23 Citations certificated for single-pilot use, although the comparison used aircraft counts rather than flight hours.
NBAA and the Citation Jet Pilots Association have questioned the analysis and sought a temporary pause, while AOPA has urged the FAA to distinguish compliant operators from providers that breached exemption requirements. Until any alternative is approved, affected aircraft must return to two-pilot operation unless already certificated for single-pilot use.