EVTOL operators hopeful for smooth path to certification
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operators have expressed cautious optimism that the path to satisfying regulators ahead of certification of their vehicles will be streamlined in the months…
Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operators have expressed cautious optimism that the path to satisfying regulators ahead of certification of their vehicles will be streamlined in the months ahead as authorities on both sides of the Atlantic begin to align.
Alastair McIntosh, chief technology officer at Lilium, which is working on high-speed, regional transportation for people and goods using the Lilium Jet, an eVTOL with planned launch networks announced in Germany, the United States and Brazil, said: “It is about working with the industry to get regulation that is fit for purpose.”
Founded in 2015, Lilium’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities are in Munich, Germany, with teams based across Europe and the US.
McIntosh, speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow, added: “We are making good progress, now with the FAA. I think I see a shift, it looks like the FAA is aligning more towards where EASA is in terms of its regulation set. It means we will only have to do the work once to satisfy their regulations.”
Matheu Parr, customer business director at Rolls-Royce Electrical, also commented that regulators were facilitating the shift to eVTOL flight, with the middle of the decade highlighted as a key date.
“We are really seeing regulators lean in and want to work with us,” he said. “We are looking at 2025 when we think we can really progress those dialogues.”
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