Archer has joined leaders from the US FAA and DOT, including Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and acting FAA Administrator, Chris Rocheleau, to announce the formation of a five-country alliance to streamline the certification and deployment of eVTOL aircraft globally. This alliance includes the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The goal of this effort is to streamline the certification and validation process for eVTOL aircraft like Archer's Midnight, globally. This alliance has the potential to create a seamless pathway to bring U.S. aircraft to the skies of these other countries once they obtain type certification in the U.S from the FAA.

In his comments today, Archer founder and CEO Adam Goldstein says: “If you ever wanted to see a bat signal go up into the air and say advanced air mobility is here, eVTOLs will be built, they will be certified and brought around the world, that's today.” Following the event he remarked, “The Administration has made it clear: leadership in advanced aviation is a priority for President Trump and for the United States. This alliance paves the way for the international deployment of our Midnight aircraft, and is another step towards bringing these aircraft to skies around the world. Thank you to the FAA, to the DOT and our other partners in the industry.”

Following President Trump's recent Executive Order, this is yet another example of industry momentum with an emphasis on the importance of deliberate and purposeful engagement between regulatory and industry leaders. It's within this framework that Archer will achieve its goal of dominance in eVTOL.

The Roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility Aircraft Type Certification has been released in Australia. It aims to ensure safety, foster collaboration, promote technological innovation and streamline the certification and validation process for new aircraft types across international boundaries. It was developed collaboratively by representatives 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).

Aircraft type certification is a process that ensures a particular type of aircraft meets all the necessary safety and airworthiness standards set by aviation regulatory authorities. Currently, traditional aircraft are type certified in the country of design using internationally harmonised airworthiness certification standards. Countries then validate the aircraft against these standards before the aircraft can be operated in other countries.

Sophie O'Sullivan, director of future of flight at the UK CAA comments: “This roadmap is part of our work to enable new technology into our skies and support the growth of the UK aerospace industry. It 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.”

Aircraft type certification is a process that ensures a particular type of aircraft meets all the necessary safety and airworthiness standards set by aviation regulatory authorities. Currently, traditional aircraft are type-certified in the country of design using internationally harmonised airworthiness certification standards. Countries then validate the aircraft against these standards before the aircraft can be operated in other nations.

However, with new AAM aircraft types, there are differences in certification standards emerging across the world. The roadmap acknowledges these differences and provides a framework to converge and harmonise these standards to streamline validation and entry of AAM aircraft into multiple markets.

NZ CAA Director of civil aviation Keith Manch says 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 says. “For aviation safety authorities, this agreement will allow us to share data, research and safety information while also collaborating and sharing our expertise for the benefit of our respective AAM industries. It will help the network develop and converge on airworthiness standards used for the type certification of AAM aircraft.

“The publication of this roadmap marks a significant milestone in the evolution of bilateral partnerships to meet the challenges of emerging aviation technology. By working together, we can ensure that the introduction of AAM aircraft is both safe and efficient, paving the way for the aircraft of the future while ensuring our skies are safe and secure.”

“It's an incredibly exciting time to be in aviation as we work to integrate new technologies safely into the NAS,” adds FAA acting administrator Chris Rocheleau. “Enabling the integration of new entrants is a priority, and we're committed to doing whatever we can to foster innovation while also staying true to our safety mission.”

The challenges of certifying AAM aircraft are not unique to these five countries, and the FAA intends to broaden this cooperation to include other countries as part of a truly global collaborative effort.

NBAA has welcomed the move. “This global partnership moves advanced air mobility forward and fosters the collaboration needed to bring AAM to our skies safely and efficiently,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen concludes.