Pact to support Advanced Air Mobility in Oman

MUSCAT: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Odys Aviation, a global developer of hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
The partnership will contribute to the rollout of the Omani Proof-of-Concept Programme for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), one of the most comprehensive initiatives of its kind worldwide. Under the MoU, Odys Aviation’s Laila aircraft — designed for vertical take-off and landing, extended range, high payload capacity and advanced autonomous piloting — will serve as the programme’s flagship model, with trial operations scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2026.
The programme will unite Odys Aviation, Omani regulators, global aviation leaders and strategic partners to test hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft in real-world environments. It will build on Oman’s advanced regulatory framework, adopting JAURUS/SORA standards for vertical mobility operations and testing regulations inspired by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), including a pioneering operational risk assessment model with multiple assurance layers.
Eng Nayef bin Ali al Abri, Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, stated: “This partnership represents a pivotal strategic step in the trajectory of Oman’s civil aviation sector... Through this pioneering programme, the Sultanate of Oman is not only preparing its infrastructure and economy for the future of air mobility, but is also contributing to setting international standards and shaping the future of advanced aviation at both regional and global levels”.
Vincent Frascogna, VP of Business Development for Odys Aviation, said: “By engaging regulators, operators and technology providers in one integrated programme, the Oman Programme will establish a new benchmark for how advanced air mobility will move from concept to commercial deployment. Oman is not only enabling rapid innovation; it is setting the standard for how advanced aviation will scale globally”.
The programme will validate end-to-end AAM operations across high-value use cases, including oil and gas inspections, emergency response, medical logistics, national defence, cargo movements and just-in-time supply chain support, while providing tangible performance indicators such as successful vertical take-off and landing, commercial payload deliveries, integration with helicopter operations and vertiport infrastructure development.