Rules tracker · public tier of Radar
The rules that decide where and when advanced air mobility happens.
Sorted newest first. Every row links to the page it was taken from, with the date the instrument took effect, was published or is scheduled. Updated 6 Oct 2026.
| Jurisdiction | Instrument | Status | What it says | What it means for planning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Part 21 review (incl. VTOL aircraft) and Part 102 UAS aerodromes project CAA rules projects overview |
Scheduled 1 Apr 2027 |
A Part 21 modernisation covering new types of vertical take-off and landing aircraft and UAS equipage is scheduled to start Q2 2027; a Part 102 project on oversight of UAS aerodromes starts Q3 2027. Type acceptance meanwhile rests on a type certificate from an ICAO State of Design. | No NZ-native eVTOL airworthiness code this decade: entry will follow FAA, EASA or CASA certification, with NZ validating. |
| Australia | Airservices Flight Information Management System (FIMS) Airservices Australia: Drones and UTM |
Launching 2026 28 Sept 2026 |
Frequentis-built national UTM backbone, launching in 2026 with static data feeds first; approved front-end USS providers AvSoft, OneSky and Yarra Drones; pricing consultation before launch. | The API that Australian low-altitude operations will run through. Plan integrations against FIMS, not bespoke feeds. |
| Republic of Korea | K-UAM commercialisation programme Unmanned Airspace, 1 Sep 2026 |
Programme 1 Sept 2026 |
A KRW 84.8bn programme from 2027 to 2029; initial commercialisation targeted for 2028 and full service for 2032, following a piloted Volocopter demonstration on Jeju in July 2026. | The third market in the evtol.nz sequence after New Zealand and Australia. |
| New Zealand | Part 139 Aerodromes (no vertiport standard) CAA rules projects overview; CASA RPAS and AAM roadmap review |
Gap 31 Aug 2026 |
Part 139 and AC139-8 cover aerodromes and heliports; nothing addresses vertiports. CASA's AC 139.V-01 is the nearest reference guidance in the region. | Vertiport siting and design in NZ will be argued from CASA and ICAO guidance until the CAA publishes its own. |
| Australia (SEQ) | Advanced Air Mobility: New Opportunities for SEQ Inside Local Government, 28 Jul 2026 |
Published 28 Jul 2026 |
South East Queensland Council of Mayors report with Arup and industry partners including Wisk: 4,600 jobs and A$3.7bn uplift by 2045, framed around Brisbane 2032. | The clearest statement of demand for planning evidence from local government in the region. |
| United Arab Emirates | GCAA-certified commercial vertiport (DXB) and Archer restricted type-certificate programme Aviation A2Z, 7 Jul 2026; Skyports, 16 Apr 2026 |
Active 7 Jul 2026 |
The DXB vertiport (3,100 m², designed for 170,000 passengers and 42,000 movements a year) was certified in July 2026 ahead of Joby's planned launch before year-end; Archer entered a GCAA restricted type-certificate programme in May 2026. | The first commercial vertiport benchmark for capacity, design and certification sequencing. |
| China | Low-altitude economy policy and new aviation law chapter CGTN, 27 May 2026; EHang Q2 2026 results |
In force 1 Jul 2026 |
CAAC sizes the low-altitude economy at 1.5tn yuan in 2025 rising to 3.5tn yuan by 2035; a national aviation-law chapter for flight below 300 m took effect on 1 Jul 2026; 750-plus vertiports planned, mostly for drone logistics. EHang holds the only paid-passenger operator certificates but had no approval for public ticket sales as of Q2 2026. | Scale and policy momentum, but the passenger model remains unproven; relevant to EHang's Asia-Pacific certification pushes. |
| United States | eVTOL Integration Pilot Program (eIPP) Commercial UAV News, Mar 2026; FAA newsroom, 14 Jul 2026 |
Active 10 Mar 2026 |
Eight projects across 26 states selected under the June 2025 executive order; revenue cargo allowed before type certification; first operational milestone was BETA's organ-transport flights in July 2026. | Real operating data before certification. Useful comparators for NZ cargo and aeromedical cases. |
| New Zealand | Parts 101 and 102 amendments; Transport Instrument CATI 101-1 MinterEllison: Regulatory lift-off (19 Feb 2026); CAA NPRM 25-02 |
In force 22 Dec 2025 |
Low-risk drone operations (surveying, some night operations, enclosed-space BVLOS, conditional overflight) moved into Part 101; agricultural spraying expressly excluded. Part 102 operators gain exemptions from several rule parts. Registration was ruled out of scope; remote ID deferred. | Open-area BVLOS still needs Part 102 or Part 107. Drone logistics corridors remain a case-by-case approval. |
| New Zealand | Part 107 Research and Development Organisation Certification CAA media release, 27 Nov 2025; Part 107 consolidation |
In force 22 Dec 2025 |
A new certificate (up to five years) that lets approved organisations test emerging aviation systems inside pre-defined areas without re-approval for each iteration. Exempts holders from 19 rule parts; no passenger carriage. | New Zealand's regulatory sandbox. The route for any OEM or operator wanting to fly a novel aircraft here before type certification. |
| United Kingdom | UK CAA eVTOL delivery model Vertical, 26 Sep 2025 |
Programme 26 Sept 2025 |
SC-VTOL certification basis with day and night VFR and IFR from day one; a 2028 target for first services. | A validation route for Vertical's Valo and a crosswalk reference for NZ. |
| New Zealand | Aviation Action Plan 2025 (Aviation Council) Ministry of Transport: Aviation Action Plan, Sep 2025 |
Dated deliverables 1 Sept 2025 |
25 actions. Infrastructure requirements for emerging technologies due June 2026 (Aviation Council); a future airspace and traffic-management integration approach due December 2027 (Ministry of Transport with CAA and Airways); Airways services review end-2026 and pricing review mid-2027; CAA first-principles funding review end-2027. | The calendar of decisions that vertiport, charging and airspace planning must feed into. |
| New Zealand | Special Use Airspace, Kaitorete (Tāwhaki) CAA media release, 27 Jun 2025 |
In force 7 Aug 2025 |
Permanent restricted areas to 12 NM and danger areas to 110 NM offshore around the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre, administered by Tāwhaki. | The physical half of the sandbox: test airspace that does not need re-designation per campaign. |
| European Union | EASA Part-IAM package (Reg (EU) 2024/1111 and 2025 ED Decisions) eVTOL Insights, 15 Jul 2025 |
In force 15 Jul 2025 |
Complete operating and licensing framework for innovative air mobility, including VTOL-capable aircraft; no EASA eVTOL type certificate has yet been issued. | The most complete written framework; a reference for consenting and operations standards even where it does not apply. |
| New Zealand | Civil Aviation Act 2023 Ministry of Transport: About the Civil Aviation Act 2023 |
In force 5 Apr 2025 |
Replaced the 1990 Act and the Airport Authorities Act 1966. Introduces Transport Instruments so the CAA can update technical detail without full rule-making, and sets responsibilities for new and emerging technologies. | The legal base for everything below. Expect faster, instrument-level updates rather than multi-year rule projects. |
| NAA Network (FAA, CASA, TCCA, UK CAA, CAA NZ) | Roadmap for AAM Aircraft Type Certification, edition 1.0 FAA: NAA Network roadmap (Apr 2025) |
Programme 1 Apr 2025 |
Five authorities commit to streamlined validation of each other's AAM type certificates, with convergence work scheduled January 2026 to July 2027. | A certificate from any one of the five should validate in New Zealand with limited re-work; this is the mechanism that brings Joby, Archer, BETA or Vertiia to NZ. |
| Australia | CASA RPAS and AAM Strategic Regulatory Roadmap (2024 review) CASA roadmap review, Dec 2024 |
Programme 1 Dec 2024 |
Horizons 2024 to 2026, 2027 to 2029 and 2030 to 2034; vertiport guidance AC 139.V-01 (Jul 2023); a policy position on certifying piloted AAM was slated for Q3 2025 with a potential Australian deployment date in 2027. | Australia is the first scale market: its rules are the reference for NZ planning and its 2027 to 2032 pipeline is where infrastructure money lands. |
| United States | FAA powered-lift Special Federal Aviation Regulation The Air Current, 1 Nov 2024 |
In force 22 Oct 2024 |
Ten-year operating and pilot-training framework for powered-lift aircraft, including dual-control training relief. | The operating rulebook the leading OEMs are certifying against; the template other regulators crosswalk to. |
Updated 6 Oct 2026. Every row links to the page it was taken from. Radar subscribers get changes as they happen; this public tracker is refreshed monthly.
How to read it. "In force" means the instrument applies today. "Programme" and "Scheduled" are commitments with dates. "Gap" marks the absence of an instrument that planning will need, with the nearest reference guidance named.