• Port City Commission questions permission despite CAA assurances of clearance
• Ministers take inaugural flight, discover administrative row only after landing
• Chinese investor disappointed over overlapping authority and approval confusion

Sri Lanka's first passenger drone taxi took off with two Ministers on board yesterday (11), but its maiden demonstration soon ran into a very different kind of turbulence, with a permissions dispute at the Colombo Port City exposing confusion among State authorities over who had the final say.

Civil Aviation Minister Aruna Karunathilaka and Deputy Minister Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku took the inaugural three-minute flight, only to learn after landing that the planned demonstration had run into objections from the Port City Economic Commission, despite the Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) maintaining that the necessary clearances had been obtained.

The Commission, reportedly headed by Harsha Amarasekera, questioned whether permission had been obtained from it for the demonstration, disrupting the planned programme of three test flights, each lasting approximately three minutes.

The intervention reportedly led to a confrontation between a Commission official and the project team, with the former challenging the organisers over the authority under which the demonstration was being conducted.

However, CAASL Director General Daminda Rambukwella maintained that the necessary regulatory and security approvals had been obtained from the relevant Government authorities, including the Ministry of Defence and the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The dispute has raised questions about the coordination between State institutions and the respective jurisdictions of the aviation regulator and the Port City Economic Commission, particularly over the use of airspace above the Port City.

A senior Government official reportedly pointed out that although the land within the Port City was under the control of the Chinese developers through the relevant development arrangements, this did not automatically give them authority over the airspace above it.

Rambukwella explained that advanced air mobility operations broadly involved two categories: piloted aircraft and fully autonomous, pilotless aircraft. The EHang aircraft used in yesterday's demonstration belonged to the latter category.

He said the aircraft had received type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), with the relevant certification documents forming the basis of the CAASL's regulatory assessment.

The CAASL had developed the necessary implementing standards based on the Chinese certification framework to ensure that the aircraft and its proposed operations met Sri Lanka's aviation safety requirements, he said.

These included the relevant certificates of registration and airworthiness as well as operational approvals, including an air operator certificate where applicable.

Preliminary technical assessments had also been carried out ahead of the demonstration, with the designated operational area located within the Port City.

The matter subsequently reached political levels, with Minister Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando reportedly contacting the relevant parties in an attempt to resolve the administrative impasse and facilitate the demonstration. However, the intervention failed to resolve the dispute.

The Chinese investor is understood to have expressed disappointment over the administrative obstacles, raising concerns about the country's ability to facilitate emerging technology projects when multiple institutions appear to exercise overlapping or unclear authority.

The trial marked Sri Lanka's initial step towards introducing autonomous passenger drone transportation. The project was initially envisaged as a pilot initiative rather than a commercial operation, following a special discussion held at the Civil Aviation Ministry in August. Trial runs were expected to be conducted at the Port City over approximately six months.

The aircraft used for the trial was an EHang E216, an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft manufactured by Chinese company EHang Intelligent Technology.

Capable of carrying two passengers, the aircraft can take off and land vertically without requiring a conventional runway. It is equipped with 16 propellers, 12 battery packs and three flight control systems and operates through a computer-based control system. It can also be remotely operated from a central control station.

In the event of an emergency or communication failure, the aircraft is reportedly capable of automatically activating safety procedures.

The manufacturer claims that the system has undergone more than 100,000 test flights and incorporates extensive autonomous flight and safety features. It is also understood to be among the first autonomous passenger-carrying eVTOL systems to receive type certification.

The technology is being considered for passenger transportation, tourism and emergency services, with the possibility of eventually transporting tourists to destinations such as Sigiriya, Pidurangala and island-based tourist attractions.