Today, Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) accepted a type certification application for an aircraft under development from Volocopter GmbH. This is the third type certification application for an eVTOL in Japan and the first for a European manufacturer.
It marks the beginning of the cooperation between MLIT and EASA in the field of certification of these new concepts of air mobility. As part of the process, MLIT’s JCAB will join EASA in a concurrent certification process and proceed with relevant activities related to the safety and airworthiness compatibility of the aircraft in accordance with existing regulations.
Volocopter GmbH, located in Bruchsal, Germany, is currently undergoing a type certification process by the EASA of its VoloCity aircraft aiming at showing compliance of the type to EASA’s latest SC-VTOL regulations. These advanced regulations and their complementary Means of Compliance (MoC), are currently being used by EASA in the certification of several eVTOL aircraft.
Japan’s Civil Aviation Bureau will cooperate with the EASA on this concurrent type certification in accordance with established aircraft design and manufacturing procedures while supporting the development of a common set of requirements in the process.
