Joe Biden Administration Forms Inter-Institutional Teams For National Air Mobility Strategy

JAKARTA - US President Joe Biden's administration announced on Tuesday May 16 that it had formed an inter-institutional team to develop national strategies related to advanced air mobility efforts such as flying taxis.

Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (EVTOL) have been considered the future of urban air mobility. Urban air mobility aircraft at low altitude have attracted intense global interest, while currently many eVTOL companies are going public.

The United States Department of Transport said the team involved NASA, Transportation Security Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission.

The FAA earlier this month issued a "new design" for changes to airspace and other things to adjust future air taxis. Last year, the FAA submitted a proposal to update the definition of flight operators by adding "powered-lift" operations to regulations that include other commercial operations such as airlines, charters, and air tours.

The FAA stated that according to the draft, air taxi operations will begin with low levels, similar to helicopters, and use existing routes and infrastructure such as helipads and vertiports.

The FAA is also developing powered-lift operating rules for pilot certification and operational requirements for flying using eVTOL. The agency plans to issue the proposal this summer.

FAA Administrator Billy Nolen has said the agency does not expect the first eVTOL to start commercial operations before the end of 2024 or early 2025.

Airlines and other companies are looking at the development of transport services using battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically to transport passengers to airports or short trips in the city, allowing them to avoid traffic jams.

Last year, the FAA issued flight safety criteria that air taxi startup Joby Aviation had to meet for their JAS4-1 EVTOL model aircraft, as well as Archer Aviation for their air taxis in order to obtain use certification.

Delta Air Lines has invested 60 million US dollars (Rp891.7 billion) in Joby as part of a partnership aimed at providing air taxi services to passengers for trips to and from airports in New York and Los Angeles in the coming years.