American Air Taxis Could Go Global With New FAA Partnerships

Five-way agreement between the American regulator and its counterparts in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K. aims to harmonize standards.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 04:54 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Jack Daleo

U.S. government and AAM industry stakeholders unveil the five-way multinational agreement at the Paris Air Show. [Jack Daleo/FLYING]

Key Takeaways:

Aviation regulators from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have formed a multinational network to collaborate on advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft certification, including eVTOLs.
The core goal is to harmonize global standards and streamline the type certification and validation process for new AAM designs, enabling their international introduction with less red tape.
They have signed a "Roadmap for AAM Type Certification" to share research, data, and safety information, aiming to align on performance-based standards, despite some initial regulatory differences (e.g., U.K.'s design-based approach vs. U.S. performance-based).

See a mistake? Contact us.

PARIS—Aviation regulators from the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are joining forces to unlock a new generation of advanced air mobility (AAM) aircraft—including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and hydrogen-powered designs.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau unveiled the multinational agreement at the Paris Air Show, where they were joined by the CEOs of eVTOL manufacturers Archer Aviation, Joby Aviation, Beta Technologies, and Wisk Aero. The companies’ aircraft are considered powered-lift—a category the FAA established in 2024.