US Agency Issues Final Rules for Flying Air Taxis

The U.S. government has issued final rules for operating air taxis. It has also set training and approval requirements for pilots.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the new rules. They were announced October 22.

The FAA explains that air taxis belong to a kind of aircraft known as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) flyers. These aircraft are generally highly automated and electrically powered. They also have vertical take-off and landing abilities, the agency said.

Air taxis are part of the AAM group, or category. But they are also considered “power-lift” vehicles. The aircraft have elements of both airplanes and helicopters, the FAA said. Other power-lift vehicles are designed to transport goods rather than people.

These aircraft take off and land vertically but can fly like fixed-wing planes. Many companies have designed and built such models and are working to get them to market. But the efforts have been delayed because of a lack of final requirements, or regulations, governing their use.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said powered-lift aircraft represent “the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years.” He added that the new rules are meant to open the door to supporting widespread AAM operations in the U.S. in the future.

Whitaker said the new rules aim to make sure “this new generation of aircraft maintain the high level of safety that defines modern aviation.” The goal is to establish requirements to ensure that AAMs “are able to safely operate in our National Airspace System alongside existing aircraft.”

The FAA has said air taxi operations will begin slowly. In the beginning, air taxis will use existing travel paths and landing structures currently used by helicopters. The new rules will permit pilots to train with a single set of flight controls. Past FAA rules required two flight controls – one for the student and one for the flight instructor.

Air taxi supporters call the aircraft a cleaner choice compared to passenger airplanes, which burn jet fuel. Supporters have called for widespread expansion of the flyers beginning as early as 2025. But experts say current technology limitations make it likely air taxis will only be able to operate at first in large cities.

One company developing AAMs is California-based Joby Aviation. It praised the new FAA rules. Company chief JoeBen Bevirt said the rules “will ensure the U.S. continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flight.”

Some airline companies have said they see air taxis as a way to transport passengers to airports. In 2022, Delta Air Lines said it would invest $60 million in Joby. And this month, Toyota announced a $500 million investment in the company. United Airlines is backing another California-based company, Archer Aviation. The Associated Press reports that United has ordered 200 aircraft, which Archer said could be worth up to $1 billion.

Former acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen is currently Archer's chief safety officer. He told the Reuters news agency that the new FAA rules represent a big step forward for the future deployment of flying air taxis.

"Now we've got a roadmap," Nolen said.

I'm Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press, Reuters and the Federal Aviation Administration reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

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automated – adj. when something is controlled by machines rather than people

vertical – adj. pointing straight up from a surface

open the door – idiom. to make something easier or more likely to happen

maintain – v. to make something continue in the same way

instructor – n. a person who trains others how to do something

adopt – v. to accept or start something new