Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Civil aviation authorities from across the Asia-Pacific region this week issued joint guidance on how to regulate new eVTOL air taxi services and drone operations. Following a July 14 meeting in Singapore, the group of air safety leaders from <a href="https://www.caas.gov.sg/docs/default-source/docs---cc/annex-a---participants-at-2nd-meeting-of-asia-pacific-regulators-on-advanced-air-mobility.pdf">20 states</a> announced the release of new reference materials on July 17.
Entitled “Reference Materials for Regulators to Facilitate the Regulation of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Operations,” the <a href="https://www.caas.gov.sg/docs/default-source/publication/asia-pacific-reference-materials-for-regulators-to-facilitate-aam-operations-(official).pdf">document</a>&nbsp;is intended to accelerate adoption of the new air services across the Asia-Pacific region, while also reducing regulatory risk and cost. The group of aviation authorities has shared its guidance with ICAO, proposing this for adoption by states in other parts of the world.
Several eVTOL aircraft developers participated in the meeting hosted by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), including China’s AutoFlight and EHang, SkyDrive from Japan, U.S.-based Archer, Embraer spinoff Eve Air Mobility, and the UK’s Vertical Aerospace. Industry representatives also came from infrastructure specialists such as Skyports and transportation consultants Alton Aviation.
A public consultation conducted in April provided some input for the reference materials, for which a closed-group consultation had been completed in November 2024. Nearly 600 responses were logged from <a href="https://www.caas.gov.sg/docs/default-source/docs---cc/annex-b---respondents-to-industry-consultations-in-november-2024-and-april-2025.pdf">48 respondents</a>.
“The Asia-Pacific region will be a major market for advanced air mobility, which will transform the way people work, move, and live, and will be another engine of economic growth,” said Han Kok Juan, director general of the CAAS. “The launch of the reference materials is a significant step forward to more widespread use of drones and making air taxi operations a reality.”

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