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 examine for the deployment of UAM and a possible proof of idea of business 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 deal with a feasibility examine of UAM use throughout the Aena community, figuring out potential clients, vertiport areas and industrial routes, infrastructure wants, and potential connections with different modes of transport.

The subsequent step can be to guage the potential of conducting flights check on Aena services (topic to funding, availability of sources, permits to fly and so on.) to be able to proof the idea of operations.

Based mostly on this pilot examine, the partnership goals to evaluate the following steps and potential future traces of collaboration within the UAM enterprise in Spain. Future traces 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 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 areas, and involving extra companions resembling civil aviation authorities (CAA) and municipalities, amongst others. Aena, UrbanV, and Volocopter have the experience in respective components 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 at the moment are 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 firms, a CONOPS of use instances at goal areas can be created as a blueprint, to later help world 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 big function in lowering carbon emissions in city and distant areas within the instant future. With no emissions in flight, an ultra-low noise signature, and compliant to the very best security requirements in aviation, Volocopter’s eVTOLs have the potential to revolutionize the way forward for aviation and make a big influence on cities throughout Spain.

Luis Cañon, Director of Innovation and Buyer Expertise of Aena stated: “Aena’s Innovation and Digital Transformation is predicated on utilizing know-how 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, rising operational effectivity, being extra sustainable and growing new companies round sustainable mobility. This mission is a part of the corporate’s world 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 intention to enhance folks’s lives by enabling a quick, environment friendly, secure, and clear different to present transport options for folks and items over brief distances, by air. We have now the ambition to turn out to be a serious world operator of vertiport networks and we can be world pioneers in establishing a few of the first AAM routes worldwide. We’re excited to associate with AENA and Volocopter, two world leaders of their respective fields, and we stay up for 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 hitch its path to remodeling the sustainability of aviation additionally in Spain as our eVTOLs present a extra environment friendly, secure, and quiet type of complementary aerial mobility for vacationers and enterprise travellers. For Volocopter, this pilot program is one other implausible alternative to grasp real-world wants and use instances of eVTOL, and to strengthen our associate ecosystem with Aena and UrbanV.”