Red tape hampering progress of ‘flying car’ ecosystem, laments minister

Entrepreneur Development Minister Redzuan Yusof said red tape was getting in the way of the development of the aerial mobility vehicle (AMV), or “flying car” industry.

Redzuan (above) said while regulations were necessary, the bureaucracy was not evolving fast enough to keep up with industry needs or support the “ecosystem for innovation and entrepreneurship”.

“I understand that there is a need for regulations, and we are a government that adheres to the rule of law.

“My concern is that our regulations and the bureaucratic process are not evolving fast enough to meet the needs of industry and of innovation and technological advancement.

“This is something we must look at,” he reportedly said by portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

The minister’s frustrations came about following hiccups in the bid to test fly one of several AMVs being created for Malaysia, last Thursday.

This was after it was revealed that the test flight for the China-made UAS E-Hang 216,  did not receive clearance from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM).

No clearance was also obtained for an earlier test flight conducted on Nov 15.

According to FMT, Redzuan said AMVs should not be regulated in the same manner as for regular unmanned drones, such as in relation to weight and flight purpose.

He called for an overhaul of the bureaucratic process and framework to encourage the development of the ecosystem.

He had previously explained that there were four initiatives related to developing the air mobility industry in Malaysia so far, including the UAS E-Hang 216, a “Super Drone” by Malaysian entrepreneur EastCap Bhd, a wholly-Malaysian initiative being developed in Japan and another, using a different technology, in Europe.