Madrid’s urban air commission aims to lead on regulation

Madrid City Council is in the process of establishing an urban air mobility commission that will oversee the development of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) technology in the Spanish capital.

The commission, which will consist of private and public partners, will explore how the city can work with the national government to establish a framework that can then be replicated by other cities.

“We want to be the leading city in regulating the use of drones and aerial urban mobility, and we hope that this type of mobility will be a reality in Europe three to five years from now,” said Lola Ortiz Sanchez, Madrid’s General Director for Planning and Mobility Infrastructure.

She was speaking to Cities Today on the sidelines of the recent City Leadership Forum in Madrid.

New rules

According to Ortiz Sanchez, current rules governing the new technology need to evolve.

“Airspace is an exclusive competence of the State, but it will have implications at the regional and local levels,” she commented.

“The current regulation is very restrictive and prohibits flights in the urban environment.

“However, new European legislation more appropriate to current needs is expected, which foresees various use cases and will establish a set of requirements for carrying out flights.”

Along with national governments, urban air mobility in the EU is governed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

In June 2022, the agency published guidelines for the operation of air taxis in cities – the first comprehensive proposal by a global aviation body.

“Flight platforms are mature, but they will have to adapt to the new technical regulations,” said Ortiz Sanchez.

“Currently, most of the drones [used in trials] have been manufactured in China and have not undergone aeronautical certification tests, which raises uncertainty about their possible future use.”

Prepare for take-off

EASA’s proposed guidelines cover important aspects such as crew and operator licensing, airworthiness and maintenance, and rules of air operations.

“With this, EASA becomes the first aviation regulator worldwide to release a comprehensive regulatory framework for operations of VTOL-capable aircraft, which will offer air taxi and similar services,” said EASA Executive Director Patrick Ky.

“The publication reinforces the leadership EASA is showing in this area of innovation. At the same time, we have done our best to address general societal concerns and the expectations of EU citizens with respect to safety, security, privacy, environment and noise.”

The guidelines were open to public consultation until September 30 2022. The EASA has not indicated when the final rules will be published and implemented, but Ky has previously said the “commercial use of air taxis” can start to take place from 2024.

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