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EASA proposes rules for VTOL operations, including air taxis

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The European Union Aviation Safety Agency proposed regulations for the safe operation of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, which includes air taxis. This has opened the way for the use of these cutting-edge aircraft in European cities.

6 seater Jet with Vertical take off..!!(Opens in a new browser tab)

The Opinion presents a thorough set of operational standards for piloted electric air taxis, including the operational, flight crew licensing, aviation law, and air traffic control domains. The proposed regulations also provide standards and procedures for drone maintenance and certification.

US secret 6th-generation ‘fighter’ is now officially in development(Opens in a new browser tab)

The Opinion proposes amendments to existing EU aviation regulations and the establishment of two new ones to address:

  • the initial airworthiness of UAS subject to certification in accordance with Article 40 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/945;
  • the continuing airworthiness of UAS subject to certification and operated in the ‘specific’ category; and
  • the operational requirements applicable to manned VTOL-capable aircraft (VCA).

The specific objectives of the proposed amendments are to:

  • ensure a high and uniform level of safety for UAS subject to certification and operated in the ‘specific’ category and for operations with manned VCA;
  • enable operators to safely operate manned VCA in the single European sky (SES);
  • create the conditions for the safe operation of UAS and of manned VCA in the U-space airspace;
  • promote innovation and development in the field of innovative air mobility (IAM) while establishing an efficient, proportionate, and well-designed regulatory framework, free of burdensome requirements that could hinder the development of the UAS market;
  • harmonise the regulatory framework across the EU Member States by enhancing clarity, filling the gaps, and removing the inconsistencies that are inherent to fragmented regulatory systems;
  • foster an operation-centric, proportionate, as well as risk- and performance-based regulatory framework, considering important aspects such as privacy, personal data protection, security, and safety.

Once implemented, this Opinion will add to the already existing EU guidelines and rules for unmanned aircraft operations, vertiport design requirements, unmanned traffic management, or U-space in Europe, and the certification of VTOL-capable aircraft.

Airlines

First Look: IndiGo Takes Delivery of A321neo with New Business Class

First Look: IndiGo Takes Delivery of A321neo with New Business Class

India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo (6E), celebrated its 18th anniversary in August 2024 by announcing a major upgrade: a new Business Class product called “IndiGo Stretch.”

Now, the airline has officially taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo aircraft fitted with these premium seats. Registered as VT-ICF, this first A321neo with the new configuration took off from Hamburg (XFW) at 6:06 PM local time, operating flight 6E9001.

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The launch route for IndiGo’s A321neo with IndiGo Stretch seats will be from Delhi to Mumbai, starting November 14, 2024. After this initial route, the airline plans to expand the offering across its network.

Airbus completed the final assembly of this special aircraft in Hamburg, where the A321neo Final Assembly Line is located. Enthusiastic planespotters got a sneak peek of the new IndiGo Stretch interior before the aircraft’s official delivery to India.

Tobias Gudat, a planespotter on X.com, captured images of the aircraft, still marked with its test registration, showcasing its fresh Business Class interior.

Adding a distinctive touch, each IndiGo aircraft featuring the Stretch product will have the slogan “IndiGo Means Business” displayed on the fuselage, signaling a new era of premium travel for the airline.

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IndiGo took delivery of the A321neo with the Stretch seats on October 30, 2024, coinciding with Airbus’s delivery of the world’s first A321XLR to Iberia.

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