ISO 5015-2:2022

Unmanned aircraft systems - Part 2: Operation of vertiports for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft (UA)

This document specifies the requirements for vertiport operations (e.g. removal of contaminants, noise) and interface with an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft operators and with UAS traffic management (UTM) service providers (SPs). This document is applicable to operations of vertiports belonging to any type, supporting: a) demonstration of compliance with applicable regulations of vertiport operations to aviation authorities or other public authorities, as a possible acceptable means of compliance (AMC), when applicable regulations require such involvement from the authority and when the authority considers this document acceptable; b) attestation of compliance of vertiport operations by qualified entities or other accredited, competent and independent third parties, supporting the safety risk assessment of the UAS operations required by regulations, in particular when high level of assurance robustness is required; c) attestation of compliance of vertiport operations by qualified entities or other accredited, competent and independent third parties even in the absence of any applicable regulation. This document also covers safety of the vertiport operator and quality of data provided by the vertiport operator to other entities (e.g. UAS operators, service providers of aeronautical information, providers of UTM services). Aspects that are not covered by this document are: - requirements for operational procedures of UAS; - requirements for physical characteristics and equipment for vertiports; - requirements for UTM SPs.

Aéronefs sans pilote — Partie 2: Exploitation des vertiports pour les aéronefs télépilotés (UA) à décollage et atterrissage vertical (VTOL)

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 07-Aug-2022
• ICS: 49.020 - Aircraft and space vehicles in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 20/SC 16 - Unmanned aircraft systems
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 20/SC 16/WG 3 - Operations and procedures
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 08-Aug-2022
• Due Date: 04-Jun-2023
• Completion Date: 08-Aug-2022

Overview

ISO 5015-2:2022 - "Unmanned aircraft systems - Part 2: Operation of vertiports for vertical take‑off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aircraft (UA)" - defines requirements for safe, secure and compliant vertiport operations. The standard focuses on the responsibilities of the vertiport operator, including interfaces with UAS/VTOL operators and UAS traffic management (UTM) service providers. It is intended as a possible acceptable means of compliance (AMC) for authorities, and as a basis for third‑party attestation of vertiport operational compliance and data quality.

Key topics and technical requirements

ISO 5015-2 sets out organizational, operational and data requirements rather than physical design criteria. Major technical topics include:

• Safety and operational management

  • Requirements for safe landing, ground movement, parking and departure of VTOL UAs
  • Safety risk assessment support for UAS operations
  • Roles and responsibilities (e.g., compliance monitoring officer - COMO, safety officer - SAFO)

• Security, privacy and data protection

  • Protection of operational and personal data exchanged with UAS operators, UTM SPs and aeronautical information services

• Personnel competence and training

  • Qualification, training and competence criteria for vertiport staff, ground handling and maintenance personnel

• Maintenance and software safety assurance

  • Maintenance practices and software assurance requirements for systems used in vertiport operations

• Management of abnormal situations

  • Contingency planning and emergency response procedures to handle incidents and disruptions

• Operational interfaces and interoperability

  • Requirements for data quality and information exchange with UAS operators and UTM/service providers

• Additional operational elements

  • Noise management, removal of contaminants, insurance, sub‑contract management, manuals, procedures and record keeping

Note: ISO 5015-2 does not specify physical characteristics/equipment of vertiports, nor UAS operational procedures or requirements for UTM service providers.

Practical applications and users

ISO 5015-2 is used to:

• Demonstrate compliance to aviation authorities as an AMC where accepted
• Support safety risk assessments and high‑assurance attestations by accredited third parties
• Provide operational governance for organizations operating one or multiple vertiports

Primary users:

• Vertiport operators (types A/B/C: micro, small, large)
• Regulatory and certification authorities
• UAS/VTOL operators and UTM service providers (for interface requirements)
• Accredited auditors and safety assessors
• Urban air mobility planners and infrastructure managers

Related standards

• ISO 21384-3 (UAS operational procedures) - complementary for UAS operator responsibilities
• ISO 5491 (data exchange between vertiport and UA) - related information exchange standards

Keywords: ISO 5015-2, vertiport operations, VTOL, unmanned aircraft systems, UAS, UTM, eVTOL, vertiport operator, safety, data protection, maintenance, personnel competence.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 5015-2
First edition
2022-08
Unmanned aircraft systems —
Part 2:
Operation of vertiports for vertical
take-off and landing (VTOL)
unmanned aircraft (UA)
Aéronefs sans pilote —
Partie 2: Exploitation des vertiports pour les aéronefs télépilotés (UA)
à décollage et atterrissage vertical (VTOL)
Reference number
© ISO 2022
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
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CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii
Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction .v
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Abbreviated terms . 3
5 Privacy and data protection requirements . 3
6 Security . 4
6.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators . 4
6.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports . 4
6.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports. 5
7 Insurance . 6
8 Vertiport operations . 6
8.1 Safety-related requirements for operation of vertiports . 6
8.2 Additional requirements for type B and C vertiports . 7
8.3 Interfaces and interoperability . . 7
8.4 Sub-contracts . 7
9 Personnel competence .7
9.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators . 7
9.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B and C vertiports . 8
10 Maintenance . 9
10.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators . 9
10.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports . 9
10.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports. 10
11 Software safety assurance .10
11.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators . 10
11.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports . 10
11.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports. 10
12 Management of abnormal situations.11
12.1 Contingency plan . 11
12.2 Emergency response plan . 11
13 Safety .11
13.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators . 11
13.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports .12
13.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports.13
13.4 Tasks of the compliance monitoring officer (COMO) . 13
13.5 Tasks of the safety officer (SAFO) . 14
14 Manuals, procedures and records .15
14.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators . 15
14.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports . 16
14.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports. 16
14.4 Vertiport operations manual . 16
Annex A (informative) International regulation of aerodromes (including heliports) .18
Bibliography .20
iii
Foreword
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bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
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iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 20, Aircraft and space vehicles,
Subcommittee SC 16, Unmanned aircraft systems.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
iv
Introduction
0.1 General
This document belongs to a series of International Standards related to vertiport infrastructures and
operations, developed by ISO/TC 20, SC 16 and SC 17.
1)[1]
A related standard under development by TC 20 is ISO 5491 .
0.2 Background
Vertiport operations relate to landing, ground movement, parking, and subsequent take-off and
departure of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, electrically powered (eVTOL) or equipped
with other propulsion systems. In this document, the abbreviated term VTOL encompasses eVTOL.
Vertiport operations also comprise ground handling and servicing, including energy replenishment.
Maintenance and operations of VTOL unmanned aircraft (UA), as well as UAS traffic management
(UTM) services, are not covered by this document, although the vertiport operator often needs to
exchange information with both the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or operators of VTOL aircraft
and UTM service providers (UTM SPs).
UTM SP are also called, in different regions of the world, “providers of services for UAM (PSU)” or
“U-space service providers (USSP)”. These terms are equivalent in this document.
This document hence focuses on the requirements applicable to the vertiport operator for the safety,
security and compliance of the provided services, as well as protection of related data and information.
These requirements include organizational structure, accountabilities, policies and procedures.
A vertiport operator contributes to the safety, security and efficiency of operations of UAS or other
VTOL aircraft suitable for operations over urban areas, supporting the fulfilment of the responsibilities
of the UAS or VTOL aircraft operator. Operational procedures and requirements for the UAS operator
[2]
are contained in ISO 21384-3 . Although vertiport operations are established considering the needs of
VTOL UA, these services can also support operations of properly equipped manned VTOL aircraft.
These VTOL aircraft can be employed for aerial work or transport, including of passengers.
One organization can operate several vertiports at different locations.
0.3 Types of vertiports
Vertiport operations relate to landing, ground movement, parking and subsequent take-off and
departure of VTOL aircraft, electrically powered or equipped with other propulsion systems.
Vertiport operations also comprise cargo and passenger ground handling and aircraft servicing (e.g.
power supply), including energy replenishment (e.g. battery recharging or refuelling).
The vertiports can be open to international or domestic public use or for private use.
The vertiports can be certified or licensed by the competent authority, based on applicable legislation.
Vertiports can be distinguished as type A (micro, used for logistics or for energy replenishment) and
type B [small vertiports, including for urban air mobility (UAM) mainly of passengers], both serving
aircraft capable of VTOL, including electrically powered, with a maximum take-off mass (MTOM) of up
to 150 kg and 3 175 kg, respectively (i.e. 7 000 lbs.).
Large vertiports in type C are essentially heliports designed primarily to serve large rotorcraft
equipped with internal combustion engines. But, when complemented by additional specific equipment
or provisions, type C vertiports can also serve electrically powered manned or unmanned VTOL
aircraft.
1) Under preparation. Stage at the time of publication: ISO/DIS 5491:2022.
v
These three types are summarized in Table 1.
Table 1 — Types of vertiports
A B C
Vertiport type
(micro) (small) (large)
Serving unmanned VTOL
aircraft with features
MTOM 150 kg 3 175 kg (7 000 lbs) unlimited
Maximum passenger
0 9 unlimited
number
Normal (Vno) or maximum 80 km/h (80 kn calibrated 460 km/h (250 KCAS)
unlimited
operating Vmo) speed airspeed (KCAS)) during horizontal cruise
Pressurized cabin or
No No possibly
compartment
Related vertiport Several standards
infrastructure and produced by ISO TC 20,
[1]
ISO 5491 TBD
equipment standards in particular for ground
support equipment (GSE)
NOTE 1  Type A vertiports can be portable or fixed.
NOTE 2  Type A vertiports are intended for logistics applications including inside urban areas. Type B vertiports can also
[3][4]
serve passenger-carrying VTOL aircraft, including traditional rotorcraft specified in EASA/FAA CS/FAR 27 .Type C
vertiports are intended to serve VTOL aircraft of any mass, including large rotorcraft. Limitations for users can derive from
environmental regulations (e.g. noise) or from decisions by the vertiport operator (e.g. provide or not refuelling facilities).
[5]
NOTE 3  Type A vertiports are intended to serve UA of MTOM up to level V in paragraph 6 of ISO 21895 .
NOTE 4  3175 kg MTOM is consistent with the threshold separating small rotorcraft from large rotorcraft, the former in
[3][4] [6][7]
FAR/CS 27 and the latter in FAR/CS 29 . Furthermore, nine is the maximum number of passengers allowed under
[3][4]
FAR/CS-27 .
[1]
NOTE 5  ISO 5491 provides standards for the exchange of digital information between the vertiport and the UA.
0.5 Content of this document
This document contains requirements that can be used by an organization to provide safe, secure and
efficient vertiport operations.
This document includes requirements on qualification and training of personnel, vertiport operation,
maintenance, and competence of vertiport maintenance and of ground handling staff as well as noise
around the vertiport and organizational requirements including occurrence reporting and safety,
security and privacy.
This document does not include requirements specific to other topics, such as those for quality,
occupational health and safety (OH&S), social responsibility, environmental matters beyond noise or
financial management, or use of the electro-magnetic spectrum, though its elements can be aligned or
integrated with those of other management systems.
In this document, the following verbal forms are used:
a) “shall” indicates a requirement;
b) “should” indicates a recommendation;
c) “may” indicates a permission;
d) “can” indicates a possibility or a capability.
Information marked as “NOTE” is for guidance in understanding or clarifying the associated
requirement.
vi
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 5015-2:2022(E)
Unmanned aircraft systems —
Part 2:
Operation of vertiports for vertical take-off and landing
(VTOL) unmanned aircraft (UA)
1 Scope
This document specifies the requirements for vertiport operations (e.g. removal of contaminants, noise)
and interface with an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) or vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft
operators and with UAS traffic management (UTM) service providers (SPs).
This document is applicable to operations of vertiports belonging to any type, supporting:
a) demonstration of compliance with applicable regulations of vertiport operations to aviation
authorities or other public authorities, as a possible acceptable means of compliance (AMC),
when applicable regulations require such involvement from the authority and when the authority
considers this document acceptable;
b) attestation of compliance of vertiport operations by qualified entities or other accredited,
competent and independent third parties, supporting the safety risk assessment of the UAS
operations required by regulations, in particular when high level of assurance robustness is
required;
c) attestation of compliance of vertiport operations by qualified entities or other accredited,
competent and independent third parties even in the absence of any applicable regulation.
This document also covers safety of the vertiport operator and quality of data provided by the vertiport
operator to other entities (e.g. UAS operators, service providers of aeronautical information, providers
of UTM services).
Aspects that are not covered by this document are:
— requirements for operational procedures of UAS;
— requirements for physical characteristics and equipment for vertiports;
— requirements for UTM SPs.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 21384-4, Unmanned aircraft systems — Part 4: Vocabulary
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 21384-4 and the following
apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https:// www .iso .org/ obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https:// www .electropedia .org/
3.1
heliport
aerodrome or defined area on a structure intended to be used wholly or in part for the arrival, departure
and surface movement of helicopters
Note 1 to entry: The definition is taken from Reference [8]. Type B vertiports can also be heliports, if intended
to support, in addition to electrically powered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, also helicopters
powered by internal combustion engines. Conversely, type C heliports can be complemented by specific
equipment (e.g. battery chargers) to also serve electrically powered VTOL aircraft.
Note 2 to entry: Helicopters belong to the VTOL family. VTOL aircraft or rotorcraft of unlimited mass and
performance can operate at type C vertiports.
[9]
Note 3 to entry: European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Special Condition SC-VTOL-01 defines a vertiport
as an area on land, water, or structure used or intended to be used for the landing and take-off of VTOL aircraft.
3.2
instrument approach
approach and landing operation using instruments for navigation guidance based on airborne, ground-
based or satellite-based equipment or combination thereof
Note 1 to entry: The definition is adapted from Reference [10].
3.3
international vertiport
vertiport designated by a state in whose territory it is situated, as a vertiport of entry and departure for
international air traffic, where the formalities incident to customs, immigration, public health, animal
and plant quarantine, and similar procedures are carried out
Note 1 to entry: The definition is adapted from Reference [11].
Note 2 to entry: Vertiports can be international.
3.4
open to public use
accessible on equal terms and conditions to use by civil operators of vertical take-off and
landing (VTOL) aircraft
Note 1 to entry: The definition is adapted from Reference [12].
Note 2 to entry: Formalities incident to customs, immigration, public health, animal and plant quarantine and
similar procedures are not normally available.
Note 3 to entry: Vertiports can be open to public use, but use can be limited to certain operations or types of
users, and a prior permission or approval by the vertiport operator (3.6) can also be required.
3.5
for private use
accessible only to one particular person (e.g. the owner) or a restricted group of users,
authorized by the vertiport operator (3.6)
Note 1 to entry: The definition is adapted from Reference [12].
Note 2 to entry: Vertiports can be reserved to private use.
3.6
vertiport operator
legal or natural person operating or proposing to operate one or more vertiports
Note 1 to entry: The definition is adapted from Reference [13].
4 Abbreviated terms
AMC acceptable means of compliance
COMO compliance monitoring officer
DAL design assurance level
eVTOL electrically powered VTOL
HT head of training
IUEI intentional unauthorized electronic interaction
MTOM maximum take-off mass
SAFO safety officer
SECO security officer
SLA service-level agreement
SP service provider
UA unmanned aircraft
UAM urban air mobility
UAS unmanned aircraft system
UTM UAS traffic management
UTM SP UTM service provider
VTOL vertical take-off and landing
5 Privacy and data protection requirements
All vertiport operators shall ensure that:
a) the relevant data privacy regulations and laws have been taken into consideration;
b) suitable procedures are in place to securely store or dispose of all data gathered during service
provision and to avoid that data are distributed to non-eligible entities.
NOTE This data can include, for example, the identity of passengers, addressees of cargo or intentions of
operators of VTOL aircraft.
6 Security
6.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators
Taking relevant security regulations into consideration, all vertiport operators shall:
a) ensure that their facilities, systems and procedures take into account applicable security
requirements, including personnel reliability and security;
b) prevent access of unauthorized persons to vertiport facilities, systems and equipment, including
when no personnel are inside the facilities;
c) establish systems and procedures to permit access and egress by authorized persons, including
operational staff and customers delivering or retrieving cargo;
d) ensure that all equipment for vertiport operation, when not in use, is stored in a secure place;
e) ensure that any communication link supporting vertiport operations is secured and ensured as
sufficient to:
1) achieve and maintain the required safety for UAS operations;
2) if applicable, be consistent with the security requirements of the UTM SPs with which the
vertiport operator exchanges data.
NOTE Systems and procedures for customers to deliver or retrieve cargo can be covered by a service-level
agreement (SLA) with the UAS cargo operator.
6.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports
In addition to 6.1, all operators of type B vertiports shall:
a) address the structure, responsibilities, processes and procedures that promote and establish an
environment and culture of continuing improvement and enhancement of operation security;
b) appoint a person as security officer (SECO);
c) designate the SECO based on professional qualities and, in particular, expert knowledge of laws,
regulations and practices on national security, aviation security and cybersecurity and the ability
to fulfil the assigned tasks;
d) train and qualify personnel to effectively recognize and respond to possible acts of unlawful
interference against provided services;
e) ensure that personnel involved in vertiport operations or handling of sensitive data are suitably
vetted;
f) establish procedures for checking identity of passengers before allowing them to access the
facilities;
g) establish procedures to report to the competent authority any information on observed security
occurrences, in a manner that would allow a further impact analysis by the authority, if appropriate.
NOTE 1 The SECO can be or not be an employee of the vertiport operator.
NOTE 2 A single SECO can perform such a function on behalf of several vertiports or several vertiport
operators, providing that no conflict of interest would arise.
NOTE 3 The SECO can fulfil other tasks and duties in the organization, providing that any such tasks and duties
do not result in a conflict of interest. Therefore, the SECO can be responsible, for example, for data protection
or safety management, but not for service provision, maintenance or other activities related to production or
operations.
NOTE 4 Various types of civil aviation operations present different levels of security threats. Unless any other
action (such as screening of a passenger or their baggage) is required by any security regulation, checking the
identity of passengers before boarding is sufficient to conform to this document at type B vertiports.
6.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports
In addition to 6.1 and 6.2, all operators of type C vertiports shall:
a) ensure security through a threat-based, risk-managed approach under which to assess and reduce
their own security risks, threats and impacts;
b) ensure that the security system includes a risk policy that is transparent, predictable and
controllable, focused on the largest risks and equitable;
c) assess the information systems essential for vertiport operation, against any potential intentional
unauthorized electronic interaction (IUEI) security threat and vulnerability that can result in an
unsafe condition;
d) ensure that the assessment includes as a minimum:
1) determination of the security environment for the information security of the vertiport
systems;
2) identification of the relevant assets or systems;
3) identification of the attack paths;
4) assessment of the safety consequences of the security threat to the affected assets;
5) evaluation, by considering the existing security protection means, of the level of threat that
would have an impact on safety;
6) determination of whether the risks, which are the result of the combination of the severities
and the potentiality to attack (or, inversely, the difficulty of attacking), are acceptable:
i) if they are acceptable, preparation of a justification statement, including the means to
maintain the risk at an acceptable level;
ii) if they are not acceptable, analysis of the proposed means of mitigation to ensure an
acceptable level of safety;
iii) implementation of means of mitigation;
iv) evaluation of the effectiveness of the means of mitigation with respect to the level of risk
(combination of the level of threat and severity of the threat condition);
7) iteration from point 1) until all the residual risks are acceptable;
e) establish procedures ensuring that the results of security assessments lead to a statement that
the vertiport has no identifiable vulnerabilities, or to documented implementation of sufficient
mitigation measures;
f) provide, when mitigation measures were necessary, sufficient grounds for evaluating that the
residual security risk is acceptable;
g) establish procedures to make the documentation on the means of mitigation available in a timely
manner to the competent authority when requested by the latter;
h) develop instructions for personnel and users to maintain the information security risk of
the vertiport operations at an acceptable level, after the entry into service of the vertiport or
modification thereof.
7 Insurance
All vertiport operators, unless they can demonstrate that third-party liability related to vertiport
operations is borne by public authorities, shall:
a) hold valid insurance coverage for vertiport operations, commensurate to their services as well as
types of supported UAS and types of UAS operations and covering, as a minimum, risks for third
parties in the air and on the ground;
b) ensure that the insured risks include terrorism, theft, acts of sabotage and intentional or
inadvertent unauthorized electronic interaction;
c) ensure that appropriate insurance coverage exists at all times when vertiport operations are
available.
NOTE 1 For risks connected to UAS operations, the UAS operator is liable. These risks therefore do not need to
be covered by the insurance of the vertiport operator.
NOTE 2 Product liability is not the responsibility of the vertiport operator, but of the equipment manufacturer.
8 Vertiport operations
8.1 Safety-related requirements for operation of vertiports
All operators of vertiports in types A, B or C, if applicable, shall establish and apply procedures for:
a) considering the relevant regulations and laws on certification of aerodromes;
NOTE 1 A summary of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and other regulatory
provisions is given in Annex A.
b) monitoring and maintenance of landing, ground manoeuvring and take-off areas or devices,
including monitoring drainage and removal of contaminants;
c) ensuring serviceability of the ground-based systems;
d) ensuring sufficient quality of data and information;
e) controlling aircraft ground movement and presence of equipment on the operational areas;
f) ground handling of aircraft and cargo;
g) night operations;
h) low visibility operations;
i) operations in adverse weather, including wind, precipitations, ice or building-induced turbulence;
j) managing abnormal situations according to Clause 12;
k) monitoring of vertiport surroundings;
l) wildlife strike risk reduction;
m) safety of works at vertiports.
NOTE 2 Ground-based systems can include aids for instrument approach, landing and departure operations,
weather data acquisition and dissemination, exchange of data and information with UAS operators and other
stakeholders, visual aids and other electric equipment, battery storage and charging equipment, fire prevention
and extinction.
8.2 Additional requirements for type B and C vertiports
All operators of vertiports in types B or C, where applicable, shall establish and apply procedures for
ground handling of passengers.
8.3 Interfaces and interoperability
All vertiport operators shall implement the following precautions with regards to vertiport operations:
a) verification of suitability to serve UAS/VTOL models for which the vertiport is intended including
the conditions required for operation on each take-off/landing area(s): aircraft dimensions, MTOM,
available aids, available ground equipment, and specific operational procedures as appropriate
(e.g. slopes, electromagnetic limitations);
b) disseminate the information in a) to all potential users, directly or through one or several providers
of UTM services;
c) formalities incident to customs, immigration, public health, animal and plant quarantine, and
similar procedures at international vertiports designated by a state as vertiport of entry and
departure for international air traffic;
d) control of the accuracy and currency of information originated by the vertiport operator or
obtained from external providers;
e) control of the interfaces with UAS operators, UTM SPs, other service providers (e.g. ATS,
aerodromes) and logistic systems;
f) as a minimum, operations and maintenance manuals for vertiport systems shall be those issued by
the original equipment manufacturer;
g) the system configuration shall not be changed without risk assessment and mitigation;
h) radio-transmitting equipment shall not generate harmful interference with other users of the
electro-magnetic spectrum;
i) SLAs with all organizations relevant for safety of operations.
8.4 Sub-contracts
Where contracts exist with third-party organizations, the vertiport operators shall be responsible for
the safety of outsourced services.
9 Personnel competence
9.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators
All vertiport operators shall:
a) appoint an accountable manager, responsible for compliance with all applicable regulations and
with this document;
b) ensure that the quantity of personnel is commensurate with the provided services and types of UA
and volume of movements at the vertiport, considering duty time of people;
c) establish a policy and procedures to ensure that all personnel executing tasks related to safety,
security or privacy within their organization are suitably trained, competent and qualified to
discharge respective duties;
d) ensure that such procedures meet or exceed applicable regulations;
e) establish and keep up to date records of all relevant qualifications, experience and/or trainings
completed by the staff involved in operation or provided services.
9.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B and C vertiports
In addition to 9.1, all operators of type B and C vertiports, shall:
a) appoint a person as head of training (HT);
b) ensure independency from the HT position and tasks and duties in the organization, to avoid any
conflict of interest;
c) establish an initial training syllabus and competency standard, including theoretical knowledge,
practical skill and attitude, including for ground handling activities;
d) include in such a syllabus, for personnel involved in vertiport operations, as a minimum:
1) legislation and authority requirements on vertiport operation;
2) requirements and procedures on security and data protection;
3) monitoring of the infrastructure, facilities and surroundings;
4) procedures to check and remove contamination from pavements, facilities or other
infrastructures, including in relation to foreign object debris (FOD);
5) systems being operated, functions and users;
6) data sources and data quality;
7) procedures, equipment and risks for refuelling or battery recharging;
8) contingency and emergency procedures;
e) include in such a syllabus, for personnel involved in vertiport and related systems and equipment,
maintenance and software safety assurance, as a minimum:
1) legislation and authority requirements on vertiport operation;
2) requirements and procedures on security and data protection;
3) systems and equipment being operated, functions and users;
4) procedures to inspect, check, test or replace components in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions and as appropriate to the vertiport operations;
5) tool control procedures;
6) maintenance reporting procedures;
7) deferred defect procedures;
8) fuel supply, power supply, battery recharging and cooling;
9) software safety assurance;
f) define the duration of initial training and possible on-the-job training, commensurate with the
operational tasks related to the vertiport operations;
g) provide training directly, having established competency requirements for the instructors, or
through a suitable external organization;
h) assess the competency of personnel during ongoing training, through supervision and assessment
by competent and qualified examiners or assessors, while avoiding conflict of interest;
i) establish a programme for currency and recurrent training, appropriate to the complexity of
each job position, to ensure that all personnel executing tasks related to safety, security or data
protection within their organization remain competent;
j) ensure that such programme includes procedures to evaluate the proficiency of all personnel
executing tasks related to safety, security or data protection within their organization, to ensure
that they would continue to meet respective competency standards.
The programme for currency, recurrent training and proficiency should be appropriate to the
complexity of each job position.
NOTE 1 The HT, instructors, assessors or examiners can be or not be employees of the vertiport operator.
NOTE 2 A single HT, instructor, assessor or examiner can perform such a function on behalf of several
organizations, providing that no conflict of interest would arise.
NOTE 3 The HT can have other functions connected to service provision (e.g. operations or maintenance).
10 Maintenance
10.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators
All vertiport operators shall establish procedures to implement all applicable safety, security or
environmental directives.
In addition, all vertiport operators shall ensure that:
a) maintenance instructions are available or developed for all the systems essential to provide
respective services;
b) such instructions are not contrasting the equipment manufacturer’s instructions and requirements,
where available;
c) the maintenance staff use the maintenance instructions while performing maintenance.
10.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports
In addition to 10.1, all operators of type B vertiports shall:
a) ensure that all maintenance or change procedures are executed only by personnel having received
an authorization by the vertiport operator to carry out the specific type of maintenance or change
operations;
b) establish procedures to implement all instructions issued by the manufacturers, designers or
developers, to ensure that all systems being operated are kept updated and, where necessary,
returned where a recall order is active;
c) implement all applicable safety or telecommunication directives issued by the competent
authorities of the state having jurisdiction on the vertiport;
d) organize scheduled maintenance of each system used to provide safety-related vertiport services,
in accordance with a maintenance programme;
e) use a maintenance log system to record all maintenance conducted and completed on the systems
or equipment used in conjunction with vertiport operations.
10.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports
In addition to 10.1 and 10.2, all operators of type C vertiports shall:
a) establish a maintenance procedure manual that provides information and procedures relevant
to the maintenance facilities, records, instructions, release, tools, material, components, defect
deferral, etc.;
b) ensure that after maintenance, modification or update, the affected safety critical system or
equipment is released to service by a competent and responsible person;
c) ensure that a maintenance release is signed only by a staff member who has received a maintenance
release authorization by the vertiport operator for that particular task.
11 Software safety assurance
11.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators
All vertiport operators shall ensure that all computer software used in the operation of respective
systems:
a) comes from a verified source;
b) is kept up to date with all security patches applied;
c) is verified and validated through testing at software interface level;
d) is accompanied by records of any upgrade or modification.
11.2 Additional requirements for operators of type B vertiports
In addition to 11.1, all operators of type B vertiports shall:
a) where software modifications are developed without design assurance level (DAL), conduct and
obtain results of regression tests, as a minimum, to ensure that the software is effective and safe
for operational use;
b) provide users forms and procedures to report any perceived software anomalies;
c) investigate and possibly solve any reported issue;
d) give written feedback to the author of the report;
e) record all received defect reports and respective closure.
NOTE These software requirements are equivalent to DAL D in References [14] and [15].
11.3 Additional requirements for operators of type C vertiports
In addition to 11.1 and 11.2, all operators of type C vertiports, shall:
[14][15]
a) in cases where EUROCAE/RTCA documents ED-12C /DO-178C are selected to verify and
validate the computer software, determine the necessary DAL chosen among level A, level B, level
C, level D and level E considering the safety implications of the involved function;
b) alternative to a), consider the behaviour of each software procedure as described at its interface
level; the behaviour of each procedure shall be verified by testing the responses to each invocation
with appropriate test vectors, providing that the safety remains acceptable;
c) establish records to document that the level (or levels) to which the computer software has been
verified and validated have been achieved;
d) if the equipment incorporates more than one software level, incorporate appropriate partitioning
of different software levels.
12 Management of abnormal situations
12.1 Contingency plan
Vertiport operators shall establish a contingency plan including, as a minimum:
a) system malfunctions;
b) external service and power supply malfunctions;
c) security incident;
d) lost or degraded communications with UA or VTOL aircraft, related operators or UTM SPs;
e) privacy breach;
f) identification of emergency hazards;
g) theft.
12.2 Emergency response plan
Vertiport operators shall establish an emergency response plan including, as a minimum:
a) response to aviation accidents or incidents on ground, during take-off or landing;
b) emergency management and restoration of normal operating conditions;
c) emergency plan exercises;
d) fire and other natural disasters.
13 Safety
13.1 Requirements for all vertiport operators
All vertiport operators shall:
a) address the structure, responsibilities, processes and procedures that promote and establish an
environment and culture of continuing improvement and enhancement of service provision safety,
under the responsibility of the accountable manager in 9.1;
b) ap
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