In Jan 2022, we published one of aviation’s most comprehensive legal reports Global air freight’s future – The sky is the limit. Today, the key topics still stand and looking ahead in 2023, we continue to monitor emerging trends in aviation.

We are taking an even broader look at the aviation industry and consider additional types of emerging aviation, like drones and flying taxis. We have talked about drone delivery and advanced air mobility in previous posts and this week’s topic is the aviation ecosystem.

In order for drones and AAM to operate, they need both a place to land (a “vertiport” in some cases), and a way to operate in the air that does not interfere with passenger planes (“traffic management”). The aircraft, its physical landing destination, and the traffic management it uses for integration are all part of the supporting ecosystem for new aviation. The lessons we will learn from drone operations will help inform the more complex AAM operations that will involve freight and eventually passengers. Although AAM operations are currently less common than drone operations, governments are moving swiftly to make these operations a reality. Reed Smith is closely monitoring the regulatory landscape that will allow for increasingly complex drone and AAM operations.

Reed Smith has been at the forefront of providing legal advice and guidance for drones, eVTOL and other unmanned aircraft since 2015. Stay tuned to our news and developments on this exciting frontier of aviation.

Authors: Oliver Beiersdorf, Richard Hakes, Julia Norsetter, Simon Spells and Hui Ling Teo.