New agreements on the development of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), unmanned aviation and digital management of low-altitude airspace in Kazakhstan have been reached as part of the state visit of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Republic of Korea.

A key document in the digitalization of transport was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea (MOLIT).

The memorandum was signed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurlan Sauranbayev, and Minister of MOLIT Kim Yun-deok.

The memorandum is aimed at developing cooperation in technology transfer and the development and implementation of an Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) system. It also provides for the potential preparation of a comprehensive intergovernmental agreement on UTM.

The designated partners responsible for the practical implementation of the project are South Korea's state-owned Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) and Kazakhstan-based Alatau Advance Air Group Ltd. (AAAG).

The cooperation provides for the transfer and localization of advanced digital technologies for low-altitude airspace management, as well as the establishment of a technological foundation for the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems, eVTOL aircraft and other types of air transport into a unified digital ecosystem in Kazakhstan.

Under the agreements reached, the necessary technologies and digital solutions will be transferred to enable the local deployment of a UTM system in Kazakhstan. This will lay the foundation for technological independence and enable local management of the system and data processing in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

To ensure the safe implementation of new technologies, the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan will consider the possibility of introducing an experimental legal regime (regulatory “sandbox”) and appropriate government support measures for project participants.

The project will take into account applicable international standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as Kazakhstan's requirements in the areas of aviation safety, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection.

The cooperation between KAC and AAAG forms part of a broader programme to establish an Urban Air Mobility ecosystem in Kazakhstan, encompassing digital air traffic management, eVTOL infrastructure, vertiports and solutions for unmanned logistics.

Alatau City will become the first site for the practical implementation of advanced UTM solutions and the development of a modern air mobility ecosystem in Kazakhstan.