Five-nation roadmap aims to streamline eVTOL aircraft approval processes worldwide
Australia has joined forces with Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States to establish uniform certification standards for advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft, marking a world-first collaboration that could revolutionise urban transport.
The Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification was released on 16 June 2025, establishing a framework to harmonise the certification process for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that will serve as air taxis in metropolitan and major regional centres globally.
The collaborative roadmap was developed by representatives from Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Transport Canada, New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority, the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the US Federal Aviation Administration. The publication claims to ensure safety, drive collaboration, promote technological innovation and looks to simplify the overall certification and validation process for new aircraft types.
Addressing Certification Complexities
Traditional aircraft certification requires new designs to receive type certificates in their country of manufacture, with other national aviation authorities subsequently validating those certificates. However, the arrival of novel aircraft configurations like eVTOLs has led to diverging regulatory approaches worldwide.
CASA CEO and Director of Aviation Safety Pip Spence emphasised the initiative’s significance for operators. “For operators, the Roadmap aims to reduce the certification burden once the AAM aircraft has received a type certificate and allow them faster entry to multiple countries through harmonised airworthiness standards and focused validation activities,” Spence said.
“By working together, we can ensure that the introduction of AAM aircraft is both safe and efficient, paving the way for the future of urban mobility”, she added, describing Australia’s participation as “not only a world-first but will also help make urban and advanced air mobility a reality.”
Industry Progress and Timeline
The certification roadmap comes as the AAM industry reaches significant milestones. Joby Aviation successfully completed crewed transitional flights in April 2025, with test pilot James Denham taking off from Joby’s test facility in Marina, California in vertical mode, before transitioning to forward flight and back to vertical for landing. Joby is thought to be the first eVTOL company to routinely achieve crewed full-transition flights.
In Australia, AMSL Aero is expecting civil certification of their long-range Vertiia by 2030, following successful prototype testing. The company has already obtained an experimental airworthiness certificate for the flying prototype and predicts the Vertiia will be certified and serial production will begin in 2026.
Regulatory Framework Development
The National Aviation Authorities Network, as the five-nation group is known, recognised that with new AAM aircraft, there are regularly new differences in certification standards across the world. The roadmap provides a framework to combine and harmonise these standards to streamline validation and accelerate market entry.
Currently, no eVTOLs have received certification for AAM operations under any of the five participating nations’ regulatory frameworks. However, the collaborative approach signals a significant shift towards international cooperation in emerging aviation technologies.
Infrastructure Preparations
In anticipation of AAM operations, CASA last week opened consultation on guidelines for vertical flight at airports, expecting that initial eVTOL services will operate from existing airports rather than dedicated skyports.
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’.
The roadmap represents a crucial step towards realising commercial AAM operations, with the potential for more nations to join the agreement over time. As the industry moves from prototype testing to commercial deployment, this international cooperation could prove essential for establishing safe, efficient urban air mobility services worldwide.
