ISO 5491

Vertiports — Infrastructure and equipment for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) of electrically powered cargo unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)

Vertiports — Infrastructure et équipements pour le décollage et l'atterrissage vertical (VTOL) des aéronefs cargo sans pilote (UAS) à propulsion électrique

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• ICS: 49.020 - Aircraft and space vehicles in general
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 20/SC 17 - Airport infrastructure
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 20/SC 17 - Airport infrastructure
• Current Stage: 6000 - International Standard under publication
• Completion Date: 04-May-2023

Standards Content (Sample)

FINAL
INTERNATIONAL ISO/FDIS
DRAFT
STANDARD 5491
ISO/TC 20/SC 17
Vertiports — Infrastructure and
Secretariat: ANSI
equipment for vertical take-off and
Voting begins on:
2023-03-08 landing (VTOL) of electrically powered
cargo unmanned aircraft systems
Voting terminates on:
2023-05-03
(UAS)
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
DOCUMENTATION.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO-
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN-
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. © ISO 2023
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
FINAL
INTERNATIONAL ISO/FDIS
DRAFT
STANDARD 5491
ISO/TC 20/SC 17
Vertiports — Infrastructure and
Secretariat: ANSI
equipment for vertical take-off and
Voting begins on:
landing (VTOL) of electrically powered
cargo unmanned aircraft systems
Voting terminates on:
(UAS)
COPYRIGHT PROTECTED DOCUMENT
© ISO 2023

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.
RECIPIENTS OF THIS DRAFT ARE INVITED TO
ISO copyright office
SUBMIT, WITH THEIR COMMENTS, NOTIFICATION
OF ANY RELEVANT PATENT RIGHTS OF WHICH
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
THEY ARE AWARE AND TO PROVIDE SUPPOR TING
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
DOCUMENTATION.
Phone: [phone]
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
Reference number
Email: [e-mail]
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL, TECHNO­
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
Website: www.iso.org
LOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND USER PURPOSES,
DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS MAY ON
Published in Switzerland
OCCASION HAVE TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE
LIGHT OF THEIR POTENTIAL TO BECOME STAN­
DARDS TO WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
NATIONAL REGULATIONS. © ISO 2023
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
Contents Page

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................iv

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v

1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1

2 Normative references ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

3 Terms and definitions .................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

4 Abbreviated terms ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3

5 Requirements for the vertiport, under the responsibility of the manufacturer ............................4

5.1 Design ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 4

5.1.1 Functional requirements ............................................................................................................................................ 4

5.1.2 System reliability and conditions ........................................................................................................................ 5

5.1.3 Accommodation of the cargo ................................................................................................................................... 5

5.2 Ensuring safety ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

5.2.1 System reliability ............................................................................................................................................................... 6

5.3 Communication ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 6

5.4 Log ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

5.5 Quality control ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

5.6 Instruction manual ............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

5.7 Ensuring safety ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 9

6 Requirement for the VIS under the responsibility of the VIS SP ...................................................................... 9

6.1 Design ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

6.1.1 General ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 9

6.1.2 Departure .............................................................................................................................................................................. 10

6.1.3 Approach ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

6.1.4 Accommodation ............................................................................................................................................................... 10

6.2 Ensuring safety ................................................................................................................................................................................... 10

6.3 Communication ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

6.4 Instruction manual .......................................................................................................................................................................... 11

iii
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards

bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out

through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical

committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International

organizations, governmental and non­governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.

ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of

electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are

described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the

different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the

editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of

patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of

any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or

on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not

constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and

expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to

the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see

www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 20, Aircraft and space vehicles,

Subcommittee SC 17, Airport infrastructure.

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.
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
Introduction

The demand for unmanned aircraft has been increasing in recent years for a variety of applications,

including military and civilian [personal (hobby) and commercial] applications.

Particular focus has been placed on the logistics sector. The most difficult part of these operations is

the departure and approach of the unmanned aircraft; and a vertiport is a device to support this. This

document defines the requirements for constructing a vertiport. The components of the vertiport are

assumed to be the following.

A vertiport system consists of two elements: a vertiport and a vertiport information system. The

vertiport is connected to the vertiport information system; the vertiport information system is

connected to the external system, and external system is connected to the unmanned aircraft system.

In some cases, the unmanned aircraft system is directly connected to the vertiport to ensure safety

during approach. The vertiport consists of software and hardware. The external system is responsible

for assisting the unmanned aircraft system operator in making decisions and communicating with the

vertiport information system and the unmanned aircraft system.

The vertiport communicates only with the vertiport information system and does not communicate

directly with the external system; but it transmits information via the vertiport information system.

In addition, the use cases covered in this document are assumed to be logistics based on automatic

navigation by non-visual flight; and where the cargo is stored at the landing site. However, this does

not imply that the document cannot be applied to other use cases. This document does not cover

vertiport operations and services covered by ISO 5015-2, developed by ISO/TC 20/SC 16 (UAS), which

includes ground handling, interface with external systems, such as unmanned aircraft system traffic

management service providers, and safety and quality of vertiport operators.
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
FINAL DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
Vertiports — Infrastructure and equipment for vertical
take-off and landing (VTOL) of electrically powered cargo
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
1 Scope
This document defines the requirements for constructing a vertiport.
This document applies to vertiports of type A (micro) as defined in ISO 5015-2.
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 21384­4, Unmanned aircraft systems — Part 4: Vocabulary

ISO 5015­2, Unmanned aircraft systems — Part 2: Operation of vertiports for vertical take-off and landing

(VTOL) unmanned aircraft (UA)
ISO 23629­5, UAS Traffic Management (UTM) — Part 5: UTM functional structure

ISO 23629­12, UAS traffic management (UTM) — Part 12: Requirements for UTM service providers

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 21384-4, ISO 5015-2 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
vertiport information system
VIS

system for centralized management of all information necessary for unmanned aircraft system (UAS)

operations at the vertiports
Note 1 to entry: It manages the operational status of each vertiport.

Note 2 to entry: It communicates with the vertiport and the external system (ES) (3.2), and serves as an

intermediary between them, but does not communicate with the UAS. It is assumed that there are cases where

vertiport information system functions are included in the ES.

Note 3 to entry: The system composition including the vertiport information system and other systems is shown

in Figure 1.
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
Key
1 vertiport
2 vertiport system
3 vertiport operator
4 peripheral devices (detectors, sensors)
5 vertiport information system (VIS)
6 vertiport booking system
7 external system
8 UAS operator
9 UTM/GCS
10 UAS
relation between subsystems and stakeholders
relation between subsystems
Stakeholders (SH).
Figure 1 — System composition
3.2
external system

all actors related to vertiport operations other than the vertiport operator (3.3) and possible additional

logistics management systems

Note 1 to entry: All actors (i.e. either users or service providers of digital information) necessary for unmanned

aircraft system traffic management, shall be encompassed by the functional architecture in ISO 23629-5.

Note 2 to entry: The ES communicate directly with the vertiport information system (3.1).

3.3
vertiport operator

legal or natural person ensuring safe and secure functionality of the vertiport system (VIS) (3.1)

Note 1 to entry: Vertiport operators shall follow the requirements of ISO 23629-12.

3.4
operation interface

interface at the vertiport that is operated by the vertiport operator (3.3) to monitor and control the

vertiport
© ISO 2023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
3.5
dynamic information

information necessary for unmanned aircraft system operations at the vertiport, which is subject to

frequent changes over time

Note 1 to entry: Dynamic information includes the operational status of the vertiport, the measured sensor

information, and the availability of the storage location.
3.6
static information

information necessary for unmanned aircraft system operations at the vertiport, which is not subject

to frequent changes over time

Note 1 to entry: Static information includes manufacturer information, administrator information, connectable

vertiport information systems (VIS) (3.1) or other unmanned aircraft system traffic management actors, and other

information that is initially configured and stable over time.

Note 2 to entry: Static information may be updated by the vertiport operator (3.3) or vertiport manufacturer

through an established process.
3.7
obstacle

fixed (whether temporary or permanent) and mobile object, or parts thereof, that:

a) is located on an area intended for the surface movement of unmanned aircraft;

b) extends above a defined surface intended to protect unmanned aircraft in flight; or

c) stands outside those defined surfaces and that has been assessed as being a hazard to air navigation

4 Abbreviated terms
ES external system
GCS ground control system
GNSS global navigation satellite system
SP service provider
RTK real time kinematics
UAS unmanned aircraft system
UTM UAS traffic management
VIS vertiport information system
VTOL vertical take­off and landing
© I
...

ISO/FDIS 5491:20222023(E)
ISO TC 20/SC 17/WG 1
Date: 2022-12-212023-02-22
Secretariat: ANSI

Vertiports — Infrastructure and equipment for vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) of

electrically powered cargo unmanned aircraft systems (UAS)
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:20222023(E)
© ISO 20222023

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
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:20222023(E)
Contents

Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................... iv

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................ v

1 Scope ..................................................................................................................................................................... 1

2 Normative references ......................................................................................................................................... 1

3 Terms and definitions ......................................................................................................................................... 1

3.1 Vertiport Information System ........................................................................................................................... 1

3.2 External System (ES) ........................................................................................................................................... 2

3.3 Vertiport Information System Service Provider ............................................................................................ 2

3.4 Operation Interface ............................................................................................................................................ 2

3.5 Dynamic Information .......................................................................................................................................... 2

3.6 Static Information ............................................................................................................................................... 2

3.7 Obstacle ................................................................................................................................................................ 3

4 Abbreviated terms .............................................................................................................................................. 3

5 Requirements for the vertiport, under the responsibility of the manufacturer ..................................... 3

5.1 Design .................................................................................................................................................................... 3

5.2 Ensuring safety .................................................................................................................................................... 5

5.3 Communication ................................................................................................................................................... 5

5.4 Log .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7

5.5 Quality control ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

5.6 Instruction manual .............................................................................................................................................. 8

6 Requirement for VIS under the responsibility of the VIS SP ....................................................................... 9

6.1 Design .................................................................................................................................................................... 9

6.2 Ensuring safety ................................................................................................................................................. 10

6.3 Communication ................................................................................................................................................ 10

© ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved iii
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:20222023(E)
Foreword

ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national

standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally

carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a

technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee.

International organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in

the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all

matters of electrotechnical standardization.

The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are

described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the

different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the

editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of

patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of

any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or

on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).

Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not

constitute an endorsement.

For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and

expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the

World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see

www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.

This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 20, Aircraft and space vehicles,

Subcommittee SC 17, Airport infrastructure.

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 © ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:20222023(E)
Introduction

The demand for unmanned aircraft has been increasing in recent years for a variety of applications,

including military and civilian [personal (hobby) and commercial] applications.

Particular focus has been placed on the logistics sector. The most difficult part of these operations is the

departure and approach of the unmanned aircraft; and a vertiport is a device to support this. This

document defines the requirements for constructing a vertiport. The components of the vertiport are

assumed to be the following.

A vertiport system consists of two elements: a vertiport and a vertiport information system. The

vertiport is connected to the vertiport information system; the vertiport information system is

connected to the external system, and external system is connected to the unmanned aircraft system. In

some cases, the unmanned aircraft system is directly connected to the vertiport to ensure safety during

approach. The vertiport consists of software and hardware. The external system is responsible for

assisting the unmanned aircraft system operator in making decisions and communicating with the

vertiport information system and the unmanned aircraft system.

The vertiport communicates only with the vertiport information system, and does not communicate

directly with theexternalthe external system; but it transmits information via the vertiport information

system.

In addition, the use cases covered in this document are assumed to be logistics based on automatic

navigation by non-visual flight; and where the cargo is stored at the landing site. However, this does not

imply that the document cannot be applied to other use cases. This document applies to vertiports of

type A (micro) as defined in ISO 5015-2. It does not cover vertiport operations and services covered by

ISO 5015-2, developed by ISO/TC 20/SC 16 (UAS), which includes ground handling, interface with

external systems, such as Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management Service Providersunmanned

aircraft system traffic management service providers, and safety and quality of vertiport operators.

© ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved v
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
FINAL DRAFT INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/FDIS 5491:20222023(E)
Vertiports — Infrastructure and equipment for vertical take-off
and landing (VTOL) of electrically powered cargo unmanned
aircraft systems (UAS)
1 Scope
This document defines the requirements for constructing a vertiport.
This document applies to vertiports of type A (micro) as defined in ISO 5015-2.
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

ISO 21895:2020, Categorization and classification of civil unmanned aircraft systems

ISO 5015-2, Unmanned aircraft systems — Part 2: Operation of vertiports for vertical take-off and landing

(VTOL) unmanned aircraft (UA)
ISO 23629-5, UAS Traffic Management (UTM) — Part 5: UTM functional structure

ISO 23629-12:2022, UAS Traffic Managementtraffic management (UTM) — Part 12: Requirements for

UTM service providers
3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 21384-4:2022, ISO 5015-2

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
vertiport information system
VIS

system for centralized management of all information necessary for unmanned aircraft system (UAS)

operations at the vertiports
Note 1 to entry: It manages the operational status of each vertiport.
© ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved 1
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)

Note 2 to entry: It communicates with the vertiport and the external system (ES) (3.2), and serves as an

intermediary between them, but does not communicate with the UAS. It is assumed that there are cases where

vertiport information system functions are included in the ES.

Note 3 to entry: The system composition including the vertiport information system and other systems is shown

in Figure 1.
Key
1 vertiport
2 vertiport system
3 vertiport operator
4 peripheral devices (detectors, sensors)
5 vertiport information system (VIS)
2 © ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
6 vertiport booking system
7 external system
8 UAS operator
9 UTM/GCS
10 UAS
relation between subsystems and stakeholders
relation between subsystems
Stakeholders (SH).
Figure 1 — System composition
3.2
external system

all actors related to vertiport operations other than the vertiport operator (3.3) and possible additional

logistics management systems

Note 1 to entry: All actors (i.e. either users or service providers of digital information) necessary for unmanned

aircraft system traffic management, shall be encompassed by the functional architecture in ISO 23629-5.

Note 2 to entry: The ES communicate directly with the vertiport information system (3.1).

3.3
vertiport operator

legal or natural person ensuring safe and secure functionality of the vertiport system (VIS) (3.1)

Note 1 to entry: Vertiport Operatoroperators shall follow the requirements of ISO 23629-12:2022.

3.4
operation interface

interface at the vertiport that is operated by the vertiport operator (3.3) to monitor and control the

vertiport
3.5
dynamic information

information necessary for unmanned aircraft system operations at the vertiport, which is subject to

frequent changes over time

Note 1 to entry: Dynamic information includes the operational status of the vertiport, the measured sensor

information, and the availability of the storage location.
3.6
static information

information necessary for unmanned aircraft system operations at the vertiport, which is not subject to

frequent changes over time

Note 1 to entry: Static information includes manufacturer information, administrator information, connectable

vertiport information systems (VIS) (3.1) or other unmanned aircraft system traffic management actors, and other

information that is initially configured and stable over time.

Note 2 to entry: Static information may be updated by the vertiport information system service provideroperator

(3.3) or vertiport manufacturer through an established process.
© ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved 3
---------------------- Page: 8 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)
3.7
obstacle

all fixed (whether temporary or permanent) and mobile objectsobject, or parts thereof, that:

a) areis located on an area intended for the surface movement of unmanned aircraft;

b) extendextends above a defined surface intended to protect unmanned aircraft in flight; or

c) standstands outside those defined surfaces and that havehas been assessed as being a hazard to air

navigation.
4 Abbreviated terms
ES external system
GCS ground control system
GNSS global navigation satellite system
SP service provider
RTK real time kinematics
UAS unmanned aircraft system
UTM UAS traffic management
VIS vertiport information system
VTOL vertical take-off and landing
5 Requirements for the vertiport, under the responsibility of the manufacturer
5.1 Design
5.1.1 Functional requirements
5.1.1.1 General and operation
The vertiport shall:

a) be able to detect abnormalities in the vertiport's surrounding environment, climate, and vertiport

function operation, which can be used to respond to emergencies.;

The vertiport operator should address the operational safety aspects of an emergency, taking into

account the legitimate interests of other statutory bodies such as the police and emergency

services.

b) be highly visible, and uninvolved person shall know that it is a vertiport (e.g. it shall have an

airplane warning light).);

The vertiport operator may use lights other than those used by airports, heliports or military

airfields.

c) have its bearing load and shock resistance specified and clearly marked on the vertiport at the time

of manufacture.;
4 © ISO 20222023 – All rights reserved
---------------------- Page: 9 ----------------------
ISO/FDIS 5491:2023(E)

d) have its weathering resistance with respect to operational weather conditions specified and clearly

marked on the vertiport at the time of manufacture.;
e) be fixed to the intended surface independent of weather requirements.;

f) be able to be used at the level of locally available electricity grid supply.;

g) be able to
...