Electric air taxis in the UK

Many people have seen pictures of small electric aircraft that take off straight up, like a helicopter.

The UK is getting ready to carry passengers in them. These notes explain the plan and the steps along the way. They draw on what the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Department for Transport have published.

What an air taxi is

The aircraft are known as eVTOL, which stands for electric vertical take-off and landing. The CAA groups them under advanced air mobility. That means new ways of moving people and goods within cities and between regions.

The CAA says these services could offer faster, cleaner and more flexible travel.

The timetable

In March 2024 the Department for Transport published its Future of Flight action plan, written with the aviation industry. One of its goals is first passenger and cargo operations by eVTOL by 2028.

The CAA's own ambition is to have the rules and systems in place by the end of 2028. That would allow the first commercial passenger eVTOL flights in the UK. It plans to cover fare-paying passengers, cargo and emergency medical services, by day and night and in most weather.

How the aircraft are approved

An aircraft that will carry paying passengers needs a UK type certificate, or validation of another country's certificate. The CAA has published a UK version of the European special condition for these aircraft as its intended basis for certification.

Testing can already happen under existing rules. Regulators in the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have also agreed a shared roadmap. It aims to bring their certification of these aircraft into line.

Writing the rules

The CAA's approach is to use existing aviation rules wherever it can. It consulted on changes for pilot licensing, airworthiness, flight operations and aerodromes from November 2025 to January 2026.

A second consultation on the detail ran from 28 May to 6 August 2026.

Vertiports

Air taxis will need places to take off and land, often called vertiports. The CAA has set up a working group on them. It covers vertiport design, the clear airspace around them, visual aids, and rescue and firefighting.

England's planning framework now names vertiports among the new aviation facilities that planning policy covers.

Noise and safety research

The CAA has published research to inform its policy. It includes a review of noise measurements from eVTOL aircraft. It also includes a safety analysis of eVTOL operations and work on the risks of lithium-ion batteries.