Developers of eVTOL aircraft await the joint EASA/FAA International Aviation Safety conference next month that they hope will pave the way to closer regulatory alignment over type certification processes on both sides of the Atlantic. The gathering from June 11 to 13—which will include EASA’s newly appointed executive director Florian Guillermet and FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker—is expected to hear from companies such as Archer Aviation, which is pushing hard to complete certification for its four-passenger Midnight vehicle.
Participating in a discussion about advanced air mobility during this week's EBACE business aviation show, Billy Nolen, Archer’s chief safety officer, told AIN that he believes EASA will validate the FAA's type certificates for eVTOL aircraft even though the European regulator’s Special Condition VTOL certification basis appears to be more prescriptive than the performance-based approach his company favors.
Nolen was acting FAA administrator before the appointment of Administrator Mike Whitaker, who came to the FAA from eVTOL manufacturer Supernal. “What I advocated for at the FAA was that the regulatory framework should be able to move at the speed of the technology without compromising safety,” he said.
The FAA has agreed on the certification basis for Midnight but has not yet released the special federal aviation regulation (SFAR) governing operational requirements. Nolen said he hopes these will be issued in the fall, and he indicated that Archer still expects to complete type certification in time for Midnight to enter service “sometime in 2025.”
Nolen said that the FAA’s objectives for supporting the launch of eVTOL commercial operations have received a boost from the terms of the recently confirmed Reauthorization Act, which provides further funding for the regulator.
Lilium’s CEO Klaus Roewe told the EBACE audience that the company is aiming to have operating costs that will allow for ticket prices equating to €2 per passenger per kilometer. The German company, which is targeting EASA certification in 2025, now aims to start delivering its four-passenger Pioneer Edition aircraft to business aviation customers in 2026, followed by the six-passenger standard model in 2027.
According to Roewe, improved battery technology will eventually support eVTOL flights of up to around 400 kilometers (217 nm). He said Lilium has longer-term ambitions to produce much larger aircraft that could carry as many as 100 passengers.