Industry leaders this week warned about air taxi certification tourism after several U.S. eVTOL developers signalled plans to launch operations in the Middle East ahead of completing full FAA or EASA type certification. FlightGlobal reported the debate on 21 November 2025, quoting Vertical Aerospace chair Domhnal Slattery and Electra CEO Marc Allen, while Joby and Archer defend their regional regulatory pathways as complementary to US certification work.
Why it matters
If developers operate passenger flights under local approvals before completing FAA/EASA type certification, critics say it risks inconsistent standards, reputational damage after any incident, and fragmented global certification practice. Supporters argue regional “launch pathways” let companies gather operational data and accelerate commercially viable services under carefully scoped regulatory programmes.
Who said what
- Vertical Aerospace (Domhnal Slattery): Warned of “certification tourism” at Honeywell’s American Aviation Leadership Summit, saying jurisdictions moving fastest (Abu Dhabi, Dubai) may lack full certification competencies and that early operational mishaps would be “black-swan” events for the industry.
- Electra (Marc Allen): Urged caution and patience, noting public companies face investor pressure to show progress and that rushing can collide with reality.
- Joby & Archer: Have publicly stated their Middle East programmes are aligned with rigorous standards and designed to gather operational data; Joby says Dubai approval pathways align with FAA methodologies and that Dubai “qualification” complements broader type certification. Archer has progressed UAE test campaigns and received Launch Edition payments from Abu Dhabi partners.
Regulatory context: FAA, GCAA and alignment (eVTOL certification)
- FAA / DOT: The FAA has been actively publishing guidance for eVTOLs and in 2024-25 established joint programmes to help define airworthiness and operational rules, but many specifics (design standards, operations) remain under development. The FAA’s guidance and Engineering Briefs show regulators are working to align categories but not yet standardise every element globally.
- GCAA (UAE): UAE regulators have crafted qualification pathways and sandbox frameworks allowing demonstrator and limited commercial operations under strict conditions, AviationWeek and other outlets note the GCAA’s approach is more operationally focused and scoped to specific route/vertiport use. Joby and Archer both view UAE pathways as consistent with FAA principles, while others caution the scope and depth differ.
Practical arguments from both sides
- Proponents (Joby, Archer):
- Early operations in Dubai/Abu Dhabi produce real-world data for maintenance, operations and passenger handling.
- Local regulators are adopting robust procedures and often collaborate with FAA/EASA.
- Regional launch programmes can accelerate commercial rollout and investor confidence.
- Critics (Vertical, Electra):
- Different jurisdictions may apply standards unevenly; adverse events could stall global certification momentum.
- Public companies under investor pressure may overreach operational readiness.
What’s Next? Industry outlook
- Regulators (FAA, GCAA, EASA) will continue to coordinate, watch for formal harmonisation statements or MOUs that clarify whether regional qualification routes will be fully recognised by FAA/EASA.
- Operators and OEMs will publish operational data from Dubai/Abu Dhabi trials; those datasets will influence final type certification and public acceptance.
- A single high-profile incident in early operations would likely trigger global scrutiny; conversely, a clean demonstration of safe operations will strengthen the case for phased, regionally aligned approvals.
Sources
- Jon Hemmerdinger, FlightGlobal, “Air taxi ‘certification tourism’ draws industry criticism”, 21 Nov 2025.
- Joby Aviation press & filing: power-on and Dubai testing statements.
- Archer Aviation investor releases and Launch Edition filings.
- AviationWeek coverage on qualification vs certification in Dubai; FAA AAM guidance & Engineering Briefs.
- Honeywell American Aviation Leadership Summit summary.
