New guidelines for air taxi, drone operations launched by regulators in Asia-Pacific

SINGAPORE – New industry safety standards for air taxi and drone operations in the Asia-Pacific were adopted by regulators in the region on July 14, a move that sets a foundation for the development of this nascent field.

These new standards, which include the certification of air taxis and training of personnel, can be adapted and used by regulators in the region as they prepare for future commercial operations of drones and air taxis.

Air taxies are a new form of air transport involving small aircraft that can take off and land vertically to transport passengers across short distances.

Jointly developed by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and 23 other regulators from the region, the guidelines are a first for the industry.

In a July 17 statement, CAAS said the guidelines were launched on July 14 during the second meeting of Asia-Pacific regulators on advanced air mobility, after it was mooted during the event’s inaugural run in November 2023.

The meeting was also attended by senior representatives from 21 air taxi and drone companies, including Eve Air Mobility, Skyports and ST Engineering.

CAAS noted that these guidelines will support industry development and accelerate safe adoption, as well as reduce regulatory risks and costs of air taxi and drone operations.

It added that these safety standards will help regulators keep pace with the development of new technologies in these nascent sectors, to leverage their economic benefits while ensuring aviation safety.

They will also reduce regulatory uncertainty for firms developing technologies in these areas, said CAAS.

At the meeting, CAAS and its regional counterparts discussed plans for the increased use of drones and the launch of air taxi operations over the next five years, as well as how countries can collaborate to allow these operations to take place.

These guidelines were drafted after public and private consultations on the draft reference materials were conducted. CAAS said close to 600 pieces of feedback were collected from 48 respondents, before reference materials were finalised.

CAAS noted that the group will submit these safety rules and standards to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), as a reference point for global adoption.

Air Chief Marshal Manat Chavanaprayoon, director-general of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, said: “The new guidelines have helped everyone to go in the same direction.

“To encourage people to use air taxis in the future, we need to make them confident (in air taxis) and know that they are safe.”

He said that the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand just needs to follow the guidelines and adapt them accordingly to the domestic context.

Mr Mark Yong, chief executive and co-founder of unmanned aircraft developer Garuda Robotics, said the new guidelines harmonised regulations across jurisdictions, and would save his firm time and effort taken to figure out rules in different countries.

It would allow his company to deploy its technologies in many areas with minimal modifications, he said,

While unmanned aircraft technologies have advanced significantly, Mr Yong said the industry needs to work on improving how regulations can keep up with such developments – such as the digitalisation of approval processes and the creation of more standardised pathways to determine risk levels.

There is no Singapore-based electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft company. eVTOL refers to air taxis and unmanned aircraft systems, or drones.

In 2023, German firm Volocopter put its air taxi operations in Singapore on hold indefinitely as it could not secure enough funding, after it went public with plans to launch a 15-minute air taxi flight in the Marina Bay area by around early to mid-2024.

It then

filed for insolvency

in 2024, citing its inability to raise new funds to maintain regular operations.