Oman unveils Advanced Air Mobility Sandbox
Oman's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) recently unveiled its Sandbox AAM Oman 2025 Programme at the prestigious Paris-Le Bourget International Air and Space Show (SIAE), a key initiative that charts the Sultanate's ambitions to integrate Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) into its national transportation strategy.
The initiative represents an important regulatory innovation led by the CAA to trial real-world AAM operations—including urban air mobility (UAM) such as air taxis, cargo drones, medical evacuation services, and surveillance missions—within live, controlled environments.
Positioned as Oman's official testing ground for emerging air mobility technologies, the Sandbox AAM Oman 2025 Programme is designed to establish a comprehensive framework for safe operations, encompassing regulatory protocols, technical infrastructure, and ecosystem development.
Helping facilitate Oman's participation at the Paris show was GUAMobility – Global Urban Air Mobility, a France-based consulting firm that specializes in future-ready transportation solutions. 'As coordinator of this initiative, GUAMobility is proud to support the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT) and the CAA in this visionary approach, positioning the Sultanate of Oman as a key player in future air mobility,' the consultancy stated in a post.
According to officials, the Sandbox Programme will serve multiple strategic objectives. It will enable the testing of AAM technologies under real-world conditions in a secure, designated Geozone. It will also support the development of an innovative and adaptive regulatory framework for advanced aerial operations. In parallel, the initiative seeks to open market access for industry players and startups to trial and deploy AAM solutions in Oman and the wider region.
A core component of the programme is the creation of a national Geozone—an experimental airspace where startups, research institutes, and private-sector operators can conduct trials under CAA oversight. These trials may include drone deliveries, air ambulance services, inter-city passenger transport, and surveillance missions.
To support the large-scale deployment of AAM, the initiative also aims to advance the legal, technical, and infrastructural groundwork necessary for full integration. This includes the development of vertiports, airspace coordination systems, traffic management protocols, and robust cybersecurity measures.
Several pilot projects are already envisioned as part of the Sandbox Programme. These cover areas such as urban and inter-city air transport, aerial logistics and cargo, medical emergency response, security and surveillance operations, and the establishment of innovation incubators dedicated to AAM research and development.
The programme also fosters collaboration among key stakeholders, including government entities, global aerospace leaders like Boeing and Phoenix Space, consulting partners such as GUAMobility, academic institutions, and technology startups.
The CAA, working closely with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MTCIT), housing authorities, and urban planners, is currently drafting regulatory and operational guidelines to govern the safe rollout of AAM technologies.
A key long-term ambition of the initiative is to position Oman as the host of the ICAO AAM World Forum in 2026, reinforcing the Sultanate of Oman's emerging leadership in regional and global air mobility innovation.
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