Advanced air mobility will see new ways of moving people and goods within urban areas and between regional ones — using innovative aircraft such as electric Vertical Take-off and Landing (eVTOL).
These services could offer faster, cleaner and more flexible travel, but they also bring new challenges around safety, infrastructure, and airspace integration.
We are working with industry and government to help the UK prepare for this next step in aviation.
How we support advanced air mobility
We have established an Advanced Air Mobility programme, as part of the Future of Flight portfolio, to progress our work in this important area. Through this programme, we are:
- Implementing the approach set out in the eVTOL Delivery Model to enable commercial passenger eVTOL operations from the end of 2028
- Defining the regulatory changes required across pilot licensing, airworthiness, flight operations and aerodromes
- Supporting aircraft design and certification, using SC.VTOL Issue 2 as a certification basis
- Ensuring our operational systems and processes are updated to support eVTOL operations and oversight
We undertake this work by communicating with:
- Aircraft designers and manufacturers
- Aircraft operators
- Infrastructure providers
- Other UK regulators and international partners
Our approach to enabling the introduction of eVTOL aircraft
Our eVTOL delivery model (CAP 3169) sets out our ambition: to implement the regulatory framework and operational systems required to enable initial commercial passenger operations from the end of 2028. In delivery of this ambition, we aim to include regulatory changes required to enable carrying fare paying passengers or cargo, emergency medical services, and other commercial aviation activities, day and night, in most weather conditions. Whilst we expect other innovative use cases to emerge beyond the 2030s, such as remotely piloted or autonomous aircraft, these are not our current focus.
Existing regulations can currently support the testing and demonstration of new types of VTOL aircraft. E Conditions provides an established framework for a limited range of low-risk development, pre-certification, testing and demonstration flying of certain experimental aircraft. In addition, the Permit to Fly framework can enable a broader range of aircraft to fly, subject to conditions and limitations set out in the associated Flight Conditions.
Aircraft intended for commercial operations will require UK Type Certification or validation of a Foreign State certification. We have published a UK-version of EASA’s SC-VTOL, together with the associated Means of Compliance, as the intended UK certification basis for new types of VTOL aircraft.
The regulatory frameworks needed to enable commercial operations at scale – across airworthiness, flight operations, pilot licensing, and aerodromes – are not yet in place. Our overarching policy approach is to apply existing regulatory frameworks to these new types of VTOL aircraft as far as possible. This means we can utilise an established, well-understood framework and ensure equity with existing aviation, coherence across the aviation regulatory system and compatibility with international frameworks. We have proposed bespoke regulatory requirements where technical or operational characteristics mean that existing regulations cannot be applied – for example, on fuel or energy policy.
Consultation on VTOL policy frameworks
We published a consultation on 6th November 2025, seeking views on proposed regulatory changes across airworthiness, aerodromes, flight operations and pilot licensing. Proposals included:
- Classifying new types of VTOL aircraft as ‘Powered-Lift’ or ‘Non-Conventional Helicopters’
- Updating existing airworthiness regulations to include new types of VTOL
- Amending the pilot licensing framework for Powered-Lift to accommodate new types of VTOL, including an options for Private Pilot License for non-commercial operations
- Applying existing flight operations requirements for aeroplanes and helicopters to new types of VTOL as far as is possible
- Integrating VTOL activities into regulatory frameworks for Aerodromes.
The consultation closes on 29th January 2026.
eVTOL Delivery Model
The eVTOL Delivery Model (CAP 3169) sets out CAA’s ambition: by end-2028 to have in place the regulatory frameworks and operational systems that allow initial commercial passenger eVTOL flights in the UK. It sets out how the CAA will deliver this ambition in practice, promoting the safe integration of eVTOL operations alongside existing aviation. It includes a summary of our objectives and delivery principles, our delivery roadmap and our emerging policy positions across different regulatory frameworks.
Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification
Across much of the world, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft, including electric vertical take-off, are set to be certified in a unified and streamlined way in the future following a landmark roadmap established between national aviation authorities from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification aims to ensure safety, foster collaboration, promote technological innovation, and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across international boundaries.
It was developed collaboratively by representatives from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Transport Canada (TC), the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority (NZ CAA), the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA) and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Aircraft type certification is a process that ensures a particular type of aircraft meets all the necessary safety and airworthiness standards set by aviation regulatory authorities.
Currently, traditional aircraft are type certified in the country of design using internationally harmonised airworthiness certification standards. Countries then validate the aircraft against these standards before the aircraft can be operated in other nations.
However, with new AAM aircraft types, there are differences in certification standards emerging across the world. The roadmap acknowledges these differences and provides a framework to converge and harmonise these standards to streamline validation and entry of AAM aircraft into multiple markets.
Vertiport Stakeholder Working Group
A working group comprised of stakeholders and representatives from industry has been established to support our policy teams and other subject matter experts tasked with developing policy and regulation pertaining to vertiports.
The project comprises four key elements when developing this new style of aerodrome including vertiport design, obstacle limitation surfaces/ volume, visual aids and rescue and firefighting services (RFFS).
Other areas of discussions will include vertiport licencing, Safety Management Systems (SMS) and emergency planning/emergency orders (ERP).
Stakeholders wishing to be a part of this group can do so by applying.
Operations Stakeholder Working Group
A working group has been established to support our policy teams and other subject matter experts.
The group will provide an initial assessment of the obstacles to overcome to create the most expeditious, robust and future proof method to safely integrate Multicopters, VCA aircraft systems and gyrocopters into the Air Ops Regulations for Commercial Air Transport (CAT), Non-commercial Operation with Complex Motor-powered Aircraft (NCC) or Specialized Operations (SPO).
Stakeholders wishing to be a part of this group can do so by applying here.
Research
Our policy positions have been informed by a number of research projects commissioned or conducted by the CAA. These include:
Systems Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) based Safety Analysis of eVTOL Operations (August 2025) – A systems-thinking based safety analysis of risks and mitigations needed for eVTOL operations, completed in conjunction with WMG, University of Warwick and the eVTOL Safety Leadership Group [i]
Battery research (October 2025) – An ongoing assessment of the risks associated with Li-Ion batteries in eVTOL aircrafts, and what the CAA might do to mitigate these risks.
Research Assessment of Transitory Helicopter Downwash (RATHD) project (April 2025) – Verification and validation of downwash simulations of eVTOL aircraft.
Noise measurements from eVTOL aircraft: A review of available data (June 2025) – A review of literature on noise emissions from eVTOL aircraft.