This blog is co-authored by Aneesa Laher, candidate attorney.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has proposed inserting the definition of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) under Part 71 (Remote Pilot Certificate) of the Civil Aviation Regulations, 2011. The amendment would recognise aircraft capable of vertical ascent, hover, and vertical descent using aerodynamic, propulsive, or thrust-vectoring systems. The amendment aims to harmonise existing regulations and support a new VTOL-specific rating for remote pilot certificates.
Until now, South Africa’s aviation rules have focused primarily on remotely piloted aircraft systems, like drones, with no dedicated certification process for electric VTOLs (eVTOLS) or urban air mobility (UAM) operations. This gap has meant there are no UAM-specific airworthiness standards, no guidelines for vertiport infrastructure, and no distinct licensing framework for UAM pilots or operators. The proposed amendment represents an important first step toward filling these regulatory gaps and developing South Africa’s eVTOL market.
Looking at eVTOL regulations in other countries
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency published its Special Condition VTOL in 2019, creating a dedicated prescriptive framework with two categories: Basic and Enhanced. Enhanced category aircraft, those flying over congested areas or carrying passengers commercially, must meet particularly stringent safety thresholds equivalent to commercial airliners and commercial helicopter travel.
The United States has taken a different path, integrating eVTOL certification into existing frameworks rather than creating standalone regulations and adopting a performance-based approach. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses its ‘special class’ category to certify eVTOLs on a case-by-case basis as powered-lift aircraft. In late 2024, the FAA published a Special Federal Aviation Regulation addressing operational requirements and pilot certification for these new aircraft. Executive orders signed in mid-2025 have further accelerated domestic development, including pilot programmes for eVTOL air taxis and cargo operations.
African countries continue to play a major role in the development of eVTOLs. Rwanda hosted Africa’s first pilotless human-carrying eVTOL flight in September 2025, when EHang’s EH216-S aircraft flew at the Aviation Africa Summit in Kigali. Kenya has approved East Africa’s first beyond-visual-line-of-sight corridor and launched Africa’s first public unmanned air system traffic management platform.
Looking ahead
eVTOLs will reshape emergency response, access to airports, increase regional air mobility and goods deliveries.
The CAA need to introduce comprehensive regulations and frameworks covering everything from airspace integration, defined corridors, automated traffic management to public acceptance, if the country is to successfully adopt eVTOLs. We expect to see regulatory alignment with frameworks established in Europe and the United States and those published by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Contact Kiasha Nagiah and Eric Geldenhuys for more information.