FAA revises eVTOL certification approach, diverging further from EASA

The Federal Aviation Administration has changed course on how it plans to certify electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft used to carry passengers for hire. According to the agency's newly issued safety continuum for powered-lift aircraft, it has dropped an earlier proposal that would have applied tougher certification standards to these vehicles.

Instead, the FAA will rely on a more familiar framework, one closer to its existing rules for airplanes and helicopters. The policy applies to winged eVTOL designs, including aircraft under development by Joby Aviation, Archer Aviation and Beta.

The shift widens the gap between the FAA's approach and that of Europe's aviation safety regulator, EASA, which has pursued a distinct certification philosophy for this category of aircraft. That divergence could matter for manufacturers seeking approval on both sides of the Atlantic. How much of a practical difference it makes wasn't detailed in the available material.

No timeline for implementation was given. Joby, Archer and Beta did not comment on the policy change. The report also did not go into further technical detail on the prior proposal, or spell out exactly how the new continuum differs in its requirements beyond the general move toward conventional certification norms.