For the first time in over 70 years, five major nations have come together to align on the certification of a revolutionary new class of aircraft: electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), popularly known as “air taxis.”
This historic collaboration marks a turning point for aviation, potentially reshaping how we travel across cities and beyond. The five countries—the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—have formed a regulatory alliance under the National Aviation Authority (NAA) Network to streamline the certification process for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft.
What They’ve Agreed On
The five-nation alliance has established a shared roadmap for the certification of eVTOL aircraft, ensuring consistent safety and operational standards across all member nations. This joint framework is designed to:
- Promote innovation in next-generation air mobility
- Avoid duplication of regulations
- Enable faster approvals across borders
- Maintain a competitive edge in the global aviation landscape
Though Japan and South Korea are not currently part of the NAA Network, industry watchers remain hopeful about future collaboration.
Why Now? A New Era of Flight is Dawning
As the world prepares to shift from traditional jet travel to short-hop urban flights in quiet, clean, electric air taxis, regulators are racing to build the legal and operational frameworks to support this transformation.
Unlike conventional aircraft, eVTOLs combine the vertical take-off ability of helicopters with the efficiency of fixed-wing planes, offering the potential for daily cross-town flights—almost like teleportation through the skies.
Companies like Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation have been working closely with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) since 2018 to certify every element of their aircraft, from batteries to bolts.
But even as they pursued national approval, these companies were also engaging with global regulators to push for harmonized standards, ensuring their aircraft wouldn’t be grounded by conflicting international requirements.
The NAA Network’s Role
Formed in 2022, the NAA Network’s primary mission is to avoid reinventing the regulatory wheel for each country. The June 17 announcement reveals the fruit of that effort—a shared certification framework that allows mutual recognition of approvals.
In essence, once certified in one member nation, an aircraft could more easily operate in the others, dramatically reducing red tape and accelerating commercial deployment.
Joby Takes Flight
Joby Aviation is already making headlines worldwide, with test flights from New York to South Korea and upcoming trials in Dubai—a city eager to showcase flying cars alongside its futuristic skyline.
The company has hosted officials from Canada, the UK, Japan, and Australia at its California headquarters, demonstrating the viability of eVTOLs in real-world settings. As Joby CEO JoeBen Bevirt stated at the Paris Air Show:
“Today’s milestone underpins our approach to bringing our aircraft to markets around the world.”
In other words: they’re not just building aircraft—they’re building global bridges to operate them.
What’s Next? A Sky Revolution, Ready for Takeoff
The five-nation agreement signals more than regulatory cooperation—it represents a unified global vision for the future of air mobility.
Soon, the same air taxis transporting commuters across Los Angeles could be flying over Sydney Harbour, gliding through New Zealand’s landscapes, or bypassing UK traffic altogether.
Thanks to the NAA Network, the future of urban flight won’t be held back by bureaucratic hurdles—it will be certified, standardized, and ready for global deployment.
This is not just a step forward in aviation—it’s the launch of a new era in commuting, connectivity, and clean travel.
