News · · 2 min read
PAL-V wins EASA production approval, and the Liberty flying car now eyes 2028
The Dutch maker of the Liberty gyroplane-car now holds both automotive and aviation production approvals. Its CEO says about 18 months of further testing comes next, and the full type certification isn't done yet.
Dutch flying-car maker PAL-V has received its European Production Organisation Approval (POA) under EASA rules, the company announced in September 2026. German trade outlet all-electronics.de dates the approval to September 7.
PAL-V says that, with the POA, it now holds both the automotive and the aviation production approvals it needs to build its vehicles on an industrial scale. It says it is the first company in the "FlyDrive" segment of advanced air mobility to receive this approval. On March 24, the Dutch vehicle authority RDW recognised PAL-V as a certified automotive manufacturer, all-electronics.de reports.
"Obtaining the POA is a major milestone for PAL-V," founder and CEO Robert Dingemanse said in the release. The company also cites a "No Technical Objection" from EASA in 2025.
What the Liberty is
The Liberty is a three-wheeled road vehicle that becomes a gyroplane. For flight, its rotor and propeller fold out, which takes about five minutes. PAL-V quotes a flight range of 400 to 500 km and up to 1,315 km on the road (per all-electronics.de).
Price, buyers and timing
Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, as reported by DutchNews.nl, Dingemanse said:
- "Now that EASA approval is in, we will really start producing the first cars soon." Those cars must then be tested again to show they meet all the guidelines, which "takes about a year and a half." DutchNews says this puts the Liberty in the skies in 2028.
- The Liberty costs €299,000 to €499,000. The first 250 are already sold, and PAL-V has stopped taking orders because it can build only 100 a year.
- About half the buyers are fire brigades, police forces and the military. PAL-V's own release says its reservations would fill the first three years of production.
The fine print
A POA approves the factory and its production system, not the aircraft design. all-electronics.de notes that the Liberty's EASA type certification is still not complete as of September 2026. PAL-V has a long record of slipping dates. Per DutchNews, its first commercial model was promised for 2021, then 2025, then 2026. Even when it arrives, it will fly under ordinary aviation rules. A Delft University professor told NOS it can take off and land at only around 20 small airstrips in the Netherlands.
Our take
This is real regulatory progress: PAL-V now has both automotive and aviation production approval in hand, and says no other FlyDrive company has the aviation one. But the tracker keeps the Liberty at certifying, with a 2028 target, until EASA issues the type certificate.
Sources
Video
PAL-V Testing Production Model
PAL-V's 2019 film of Liberty production-model testing. Video and poster: PAL-V · Watch on YouTubeFacts as reported by the linked sources as of Oct 17, 2026. Company targets are plans, not guarantees. Corrections: see About.