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 inside the Aena flight community.
The pilot program will progress in two steps: The primary two years will deal with a feasibility research of UAM use inside the Aena community, figuring out potential prospects, vertiport places and business routes, infrastructure wants, and doable connections with different modes of transport.
The following step can be to judge the potential for conducting flights check on Aena services (topic to funding, availability of assets, permits to fly and so on.) with a view to proof the idea of operations.
Based mostly on this pilot research, the partnership goals to evaluate the following steps and doable future strains of collaboration within the UAM enterprise in Spain. Future strains of labor can be topic to strict evaluation of the outcomes of the pilot and the strategic alignment of every of the events.
There isn’t any shortcut to constructing an environment friendly and sustainable UAM ecosystem into a brand new area. This includes understanding the market potential, figuring out passenger-frequented routes, planning vertiport places, and involving extra companions comparable to civil aviation authorities (CAA) and municipalities, amongst others. Aena, UrbanV, and Volocopter have the experience in respective elements of the aviation trade 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 trying 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 corporations, a CONOPS of use circumstances at goal places can be created as a blueprint, to later support international business enlargement.
Spain is accelerating its decarbonisation efforts to focus on net-zero by 2050, principally 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 position in decreasing carbon emissions in city and distant places within the speedy 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 mentioned: “Aena’s Innovation and Digital Transformation relies on utilizing expertise to enhance present and develop new companies.
We wish to be worldwide leaders in the usage of digital instruments with the target of optimising the shopper expertise, rising operational effectivity, being extra sustainable and creating new companies round sustainable mobility. This venture 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 mentioned: “At UrbanV, we purpose to enhance individuals’s lives by enabling a quick, environment friendly, protected, and clear different to present transport options for individuals and items over brief distances, by air. We’ve the ambition to grow to be a serious international operator of vertiport networks and we can be international pioneers in establishing a few 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 nice potential of introducing superior air mobility within the Spanish market.”
Christian Bauer, CFO & CCO of Volocopter, added: “Volocopter’s mission to convey UAM to life now extends to Spain. We’re proud to affix its path to remodeling 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 unbelievable alternative to grasp real-world wants and use circumstances of eVTOL, and to strengthen our companion ecosystem with Aena and UrbanV.”
