CAA sets out pathway for piloted eVTOL operations in Britain by 2028
September 18, 2025
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has unveiled its first eVTOL Delivery Model, laying out how it plans to regulate advanced air mobility services by the end of 2028.
The framework marks the most comprehensive signal yet that the UK intends to be among the early adopters of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for passenger transport.
“The emergence of eVTOL offers new opportunities for the aerospace industry and the potential to reshape how people travel and goods are delivered,” says Sophie O’Sullivan, the CAA’s Director of Future Safety and Innovation.
“Our eVTOL Delivery Model outlines how we as a regulator are working to enable this new industry to operate with the highest safety standards, and our ambition to put in place the regulatory framework to facilitate commercial eVTOL operations in the UK by the end of 2028 in line with the government’s objectives.”
A new regulatory roadmap for UK eVTOLs
Until now, the CAA has managed eVTOL projects through exemptions and permits to fly, handling each application on a case-by-case basis. The new model is the first attempt to join the dots into a coherent pathway from prototype demonstrations through to commercial operations. It divides development into three phases:
- Flying now covers existing test and demonstration flights under permits and exemptions.
- Flying tomorrow charts the regulatory path to end-2028, including certification, pilot licensing, vertiport integration and operational approvals.
- Flying in future looks beyond 2030 to autonomous aircraft, new propulsion technologies and digital air traffic integration.
The centrepiece is the commitment to have the UK’s regulatory framework ready by the end of 2028.
The CAA makes clear that this target aligns with the government’s stated ambition and will initially apply only to piloted aircraft. Remotely piloted or autonomous concepts remain outside the scope of the model, providing industry with a firmer sense of where to focus investment in the near term.
New clarity for AAM stakeholders in the UK
Several elements in the delivery model represent new clarity for stakeholders. One is the expectation that commercial services will be permitted to operate under both visual and instrument flight rules from day one, provided aircraft and pilots are suitably equipped. This is significant for UK conditions, where poor weather could otherwise ground much of the early fleet.
Another is the decision to bring vertiports within the existing aerodrome framework. Rather than creating a parallel system, the CAA will adapt familiar airport standards to account for powered-lift aircraft and novel infrastructure. That will raise the bar for developers, but also provides predictability in planning and compliance.
On licensing, the regulator has confirmed that commercial pilots will need a CPL or ATPL in aeroplanes or helicopters, plus a type rating for the new class. Ab initio training specific to eVTOLs is earmarked for the post-2030 horizon, but for now, the industry can expect crews to come through established pathways.
Implications for the UK’s eVTOL industry
For manufacturers, the delivery model cements UK.SC.VTOL Issue 2 as the certification baseline, encouraging design alignment with both British and European requirements.
Operators can now prepare for IFR-capable services, and airports considering vertiport infrastructure know they will be assessed through the same regulatory lens as conventional aerodromes.
Training providers, meanwhile, can start to scope out type-rating courses and simulator programmes in anticipation of new aircraft entering service.
The clarity is welcome, but not without cost. Vertiport developers face higher compliance demands, and airlines may have to manage stricter performance-based energy reserve requirements than originally expected. Yet the regulator argues that predictability is preferable to uncertainty as capital begins to flow into the sector.
The CAA’s timeline is ambitious. Regulatory processes, certification pathways and new infrastructure must all converge within three years if commercial flights are to begin on schedule. Nevertheless, by codifying its eVTOL Delivery Model, the CAA is sending a clear message that advanced air mobility is moving out of the test phase and into the regulated mainstream.
