BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. Kazakhstan and
South Korea have reached new agreements on cooperation in Urban Air
Mobility (UAM), unmanned aviation and digital management of
low-altitude airspace in Kazakhstan.


This was announced in a statement published by the Ministry of
Transport of Kazakhstan, following the state visit of the President
of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to South Korea.


"A key document in the digitalization of transport was a
Memorandum of Understanding signed by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of
Transport, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital
Development, and the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT)", the ministry said.


The memorandum was signed by Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister
and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development
Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev, and
South Korea’s MOLIT Minister Kim Yun-duk.


The memorandum provides for cooperation in technology transfer
and the development and implementation of an Unmanned Aircraft
System Traffic Management (UTM) system in Kazakhstan. The parties
will also explore the possibility of preparing a comprehensive
intergovernmental agreement on UTM.


South Korea’s state-owned Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) and
Kazakhstan’s Alatau Advance Air Group Ltd. (AAAG) have been
designated as partners responsible for the practical implementation
of the project.


The cooperation will include the transfer and localization of
digital technologies for managing low-altitude airspace and
establishing the technological infrastructure needed for the safe
integration of unmanned aircraft systems, eVTOL aircraft and other
forms of air transport into Kazakhstan’s digital ecosystem.







Under the agreements, the necessary technologies and digital
solutions will be transferred for the local deployment of a UTM
system in Kazakhstan. The project is expected to support
technological independence and enable local management of the
system and data processing in accordance with Kazakhstan’s
legislation.


To facilitate the safe introduction of new technologies,
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport will consider the use of an
experimental legal regime, or regulatory sandbox, as well as
relevant government support measures for project participants.


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


According to the ministry, the cooperation between KAC and AAAG
forms part of a broader programme to develop an Urban Air Mobility
ecosystem in Kazakhstan, including digital air traffic management,
eVTOL infrastructure, vertiports and unmanned logistics
solutions.


Alatau City is expected to become the first site for the
practical implementation of UTM technologies and the development of
an urban air mobility ecosystem in Kazakhstan