Aena, the world’s main airport administration firm by variety of passengers, UrbanV, the Italian vertiport operator, and the German pioneer of city air mobility (UAM), Volocopter, have entered right into a collaboration settlement to launch a pilot program to develop an UAM ecosystem. This system consists of a feasibility research for the deployment of UAM and a possible proof of idea of economic operations (CONOPS) of a vertiport at an airport throughout the Aena flight community.
The pilot program will progress in two steps: The primary two years will give attention to a feasibility research of UAM use throughout the Aena community, figuring out potential prospects, vertiport places and industrial routes, infrastructure wants, and doable connections with different modes of transport.
The following step might be to judge the opportunity of conducting flights check on Aena services (topic to funding, availability of sources, permits to fly and many others.) so as to proof the idea of operations.
Based mostly on this pilot research, the partnership goals to evaluate the subsequent steps and doable future strains of collaboration within the UAM enterprise in Spain. Future strains of labor might be topic to strict evaluation of the outcomes of the pilot and the strategic alignment of every of the events.
There isn’t a shortcut to constructing an environment friendly and sustainable UAM ecosystem into a brand new area. This entails understanding the market potential, figuring out passenger-frequented routes, planning vertiport places, and involving further companions resembling civil aviation authorities (CAA) and municipalities, amongst others. Aena, UrbanV, and Volocopter have the experience in respective elements of the aviation business to embark on the creation of an environment friendly UAM ecosystem in Spain and past.
UrbanV and Volocopter have already partnered for the 2024 Italian UAM market launch in Rome and are actually seeking to strengthen their collaboration in Spain. Aena is the world’s main airport administration firm within the variety of passengers. With the mixed experience of those three firms, a CONOPS of use instances at goal places might be created as a blueprint, to later help international industrial growth.
Spain is accelerating its decarbonisation efforts to focus on net-zero by 2050, largely via electrification, inexperienced hydrogen, and biofuels 1 . Aena is 10 years forward of schedule by committing to be net-zero by 2040. Electrical vertical take-off and touchdown (eVTOL) plane can play a major function in lowering carbon emissions in city and distant places within the fast future. With no emissions in flight, an ultra-low noise signature, and compliant to the best security requirements in aviation, Volocopter’s eVTOLs have the potential to revolutionize the way forward for aviation and make a major impression on cities throughout Spain.
Luis Cañon, Director of Innovation and Buyer Expertise of Aena stated: “Aena’s Innovation and Digital Transformation relies on utilizing expertise to enhance present and develop new companies.
We wish to be worldwide leaders in using digital instruments with the target of optimising the consumer expertise, growing operational effectivity, being extra sustainable and creating new companies round sustainable mobility. This mission is a part of the corporate’s international technique in City Air Mobility and the validation of latest applied sciences and processes in Aena’s airport community.”
Carlo Tursi, CEO of UrbanV stated: “At UrbanV, we goal to enhance folks’s lives by enabling a quick, environment friendly, protected, and clear various to current transport options for folks and items over brief distances, by air. We’ve the ambition to turn into a serious international operator of vertiport networks and we might be international pioneers in establishing a number of the first AAM routes worldwide. We’re excited to companion with AENA and Volocopter, two world leaders of their respective fields, and we look ahead to exploring along with them the good potential of introducing superior air mobility within the Spanish market.”
Christian Bauer, CFO & CCO of Volocopter, added: “Volocopter’s mission to carry UAM to life now extends to Spain. We’re proud to hitch its path to reworking the sustainability of aviation additionally in Spain as our eVTOLs present a extra environment friendly, protected, and quiet type of complementary aerial mobility for vacationers and enterprise travellers. For Volocopter, this pilot program is one other incredible alternative to grasp real-world wants and use instances of eVTOL, and to strengthen our companion ecosystem with Aena and UrbanV.”