Advanced Air Mobility 2024

Successful, widespread implementation of AAM use cases over the coming years will be driven by three categories of enablers: social acceptance, operational feasibility and financial viability. Figure 3 outlines the key components of these enabler categories. It simplifies the relationships between enabling factors and, due to clarity reasons, does not illustrate the interdependences among the different components. For example, clear understanding of the positive social and environmental impact of AAM technologies will ensure that both funding and the necessary regulation – for both the AAM aircraft and the surrounding infrastructure – are put in place. Trust is the first cornerstone of social acceptance, with perceived safety and privacy playing crucial roles. Education and proof of existing capabilities will significantly contribute to this understanding. Beyond establishing trust, achieving social acceptance will be facilitated by a tangible public benefit. This includes deploying AAM instead of more polluting alternatives, and deploying AAM to address current societal challenges, such as improving healthcare or enhancing the inclusivity of remote communities. In order to facilitate adoption, the integration must be seamless for users, providing an intuitive experience that is well-connected with existing systems.Operational feasibility is also critical for the implementation of AAM. The technology is maturing sufficiently to soon enable safe, reliable and recurrent operations, and many operators anticipate scaling operations before the decade’s end. Regulations must evolve to keep pace to enable fast and reliable certification of new systems and to enable the standardization of the ecosystem. To this end, infrastructure will be key – see Box 2 that zooms in on infrastructure needs. Finally, financial viability is essential as it not only sustains operations but also attracts the necessary funds for the substantial initial capital expenditures. Not only must the sector demonstrate that the economic model is viable and more effective than existing alternatives, it must also prove that there is sufficient market depth and that the timeline towards commercialization will not be too long. Funding should ideally come from both public and private sectors, as both societal and economic benefits are expected from this technology. This multistakeholder approach is crucial for the long- term success and integration of these technologies into mainstream society.2.2 Key enabling factors Key enablers for advanced air mobility adoption FIGURE 3 Social acceptance Trust Perceived safety Stakeholder education Seamless integrationPositive environmental impact Positive social impactSocietal impactFinancial viability Commercial opportunity Less time to commercialization Large expected market size Unit economics Sufficient and diverse fundingSupporting contextual factors Structural advantagesOther aspectsOperational feasibility Airworthiness Technology maturity CertificationEcosystem Ground infrastructure Digital infrastructure Airspace integrationHolistic regulation design Practical executionRegulation Source: World Economic Forum Advanced Air Mobility: Shaping the Future of Aviation 10