On Monday, the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made a proposal for new regulations that, if approved, would assist facilitate the launch of commercial air taxi services by about the middle of this decade.
Flying taxis that are powered by electric engines and have the ability to take off and land vertically have been called electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL). As more and more electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) firms have gone public, there has been an uptick in interest all around the world in low-altitude urban air mobility aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has put up a proposal to revise the definition of an air carrier in order to incorporate “powered-lift” operations within the laws that cover other types of commercial operations, such as airlines, charters, and air tours.
According to a recent study issued by the government, “This powered-lift definitions regulation creates the basis that will allow operators to use powered-lift aircraft.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on a separate rule for powered-lift operations, which will outline the requirements for certifying pilots and for operating eVTOL aircraft. The agency intends to publish the proposal during the summer of the following year. The acting administrator of the FAA, Billy Nolen, stated to the press the previous week that the organization does not anticipate the first electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft to commence commercial operations until late 2024 or, more likely, early 2025.
According to what he said, “in any event, it won’t take place until the safety piece has been satisfied.”
The development of transport services that use battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically in order to carry passengers to airports or on short excursions between cities in order to beat traffic is currently being considered by a number of different companies, including airlines. This month, the FAA released the airworthiness criteria that air taxi startup Joby Aviation (JOBY.N) will need to achieve in order to obtain certification for its Model JAS4-1 eVTOL aircraft.
Recent statements made by Joby indicate that the company anticipates launching its commercial passenger air taxi services in 2025, pending approval from the FAA.
Last month, Delta Air Lines (DAL.N) announced that it had invested $60 million in Joby as part of a partnership that aims to provide passengers with air taxi transport to and from airports in New York City and Los Angeles within the next few years. Joby is a company that develops autonomous flying taxis.
According to Nolen, the demand for air taxis will be significant during the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. “We may see some of them in the years going up to it, but nowhere like the scale in 2028,” he added. “We may see some of them in the years coming up to it.”
He went on to say that the FAA anticipates publishing an implementation plan in May of the following year, which will assist it in meeting the ambitious expansion expectations of the industry.
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