Regulators 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) have announced their Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification.
The roadmap comes as the regulators, recognising differing approaches to type certification standards, seek to “foster collaboration, promote technological innovation, and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across international boundaries.”
Currently, aircraft are certified in their country of origin of design, using the airworthiness standards defined in ICAO’s Annex 8. Even so, some variations have emerged: EASA and others have chosen to certify to 10 to the minus 9 stringency, compared with the FAA approach, which applies the more lenient 10 to the minus 8. This is the most obvious difference that springs to mind. Clearly, these variations can lead to additional complexity when other agencies look to validate a given aircraft’s certification according to their own country’s requirements.
According to the joint statement, the roadmap acknowledges these differences and will deliver a framework to harmonise standards. Pip Spence, CASA Chief Executive Officer and Director of Aviation Safety, said there are significant benefits to collaborating across borders on advanced aircraft certification standards. “For operators, the Roadmap aims to reduce the certification burden once the AAM aircraft has received a type certificate and allow them faster entry to multiple countries through harmonised airworthiness standards and focused validation activities,” he explained, “By working together, we can ensure that the introduction of AAM aircraft is both safe and efficient, paving the way for the future of urban mobility.”
Meanwhile, the UK CAA’s Director of Future of Flight, Sophie O’Sullivan, added, “This roadmap marks a significant milestone in the evolution of bilateral partnerships to meet the challenges of emerging aviation technology. It allows us to share data, research and safety information while also collaborating and sharing our expertise. While for manufacturers and operators, it aims to reduce the certification burden once aircraft have received a type certificate and allow them faster entry to multiple countries through harmonised airworthiness standards. By working together, we can ensure that the introduction of AAM aircraft is both safe and efficient, paving the way for the future of urban mobility.”
Image: UK CAA
