The Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification was released today by a working group established by the national aviation authorities (NAAs) in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, through its NAA Network and has set a deadline of January 2027 for the elmination of differences in airworthiness requirements for eVTOLs.
The roadmap is available here: https://www.faa.gov/air-taxis/NAA-Network-Roadmap-Advanced-AirMobility-Aircraft-Type-Certification-Edition-April2025.pdf
According to the text of the roadmap: “The combination of existing airworthiness standards, such as 14 CFR Part 23 for normal category aircraft, are the starting point on the safety continuum, supplemented by the additional airworthiness
requirements in FAA AC 21.17-4 or UK CAA SC-VTOL. Both FAA AC 21.17-4 and UK CAA SC VTOL provide a tiered approach to the type certification of AAM aircraft. This tiered approach is aligned to the safety continuum in that it provides a tailored approach to type certification informed by the type of AAM aircraft operation and maximum number of passengers. These principles will continue to be applied by the NAA Network commensurate with industry innovation of AAM aircraft.”
Approximately 60% of certification requirements for AAM are already known and used by the NAA Network when certifying aircraft, say the roadmap authors.
The NAA Network Authorities will also coordinate their involvement with standards development organisations “to maximize coverage across the standards being developed, reduce duplication of effort, transfer knowledge and insight between Authorities, and provide coordinated strategic influence into the consensus standards being developed.”
The roadmap aims to ensure safety, foster collaboration, and promote technological innovation and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across international boundaries. According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority: “The network was established to foster co-operation, learning and sharing of best practices by working in partnership on common and emerging challenges in aviation and aerospace and is dedicated to advancing aviation safety and innovation through international cooperation and alignment of regulatory standards.
“Over time, the exchange of Means of Compliance information between NAA Network members, the increasing acceptance of published Industry Consensus Standards, and the reduction of differences between FAA Airworthiness Criteria and the UK CAA SC-VTOL will result in a decreased validation effort, as measured by redundant resource and time expenditure, and the timely introduction of AAM aircraft into service.”
“It’s an incredibly exciting time to be in aviation as we work to integrate new technologies safely into the NAS,”said FAA Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau. “Enabling the integration of new entrants is a priority and we’re committed to doing whatever we can to foster innovation while also staying true to our safety mission.”
Sophie O’Sullivan, Director of Future of Flight at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “This roadmap is part of our work to enable new technology into our skies and support the growth of the UK aerospace industry. It marks a significant milestone in the evolution of bilateral partnerships to meet the challenges of emerging aviation technology. It allows us to share data, research and safety information while also collaborating and sharing our expertise. While for manufacturers and operators, it aims to reduce the certification burden once aircraft have received a type certificate and allow them faster entry to multiple countries through harmonised airworthiness standards.
For more information
https://www.caa.co.uk/newsroom/news/groundbreaking-roadmap-for-aircraft-of-the-future-released/
(Image: CAA)