Advanced Air Mobility 2024

Advanced air mobility: The disruptive force transforming aviation1 Innovations such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G (fifth generation telecommunications), smart infrastructure, electric motors and sensor technologies are rapidly disrupting various industries and sectors of the global economy. Aviation is no different. Despite it being a highly regulated industry, a new industry branch is embedding numerous innovations in the air: advanced air mobility. Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a broad concept, a playground for innovation that addresses varied topics such as levels of automation, electric aircraft, novel materials and AI route optimization. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), advanced air mobility is “an umbrella term for aircraft that are likely highly automated and electric”.2 This industry branch is still in the research and development (R&D) stage, which allows for strong innovation in the coming years. At the same time, AAM is far enough ahead to consider it a reality and able to already make an impact in the short term. The future of AAM is electric and is leveraging increased levels of automation. The electric engines of these aircraft support the sector’s path to reach net-zero by 20503 despite the rapid increase in air travel demand (an estimated 40% increase in the number of flights compared to 2019).4 Electric engines are also quieter than traditional propulsion engines, contributing to noise reduction. Autonomous capabilities enabling unmanned or remotely supervised operations can help the aviation sector in several ways. They can help address the current shortage of pilots driven by the post-COVID rebound in travel, which is expected to accentuate in the near future (Airbus and Boeing estimate between 585,0005 and 649,0006 new pilots will be needed by 2040). Autonomy will also make the business models related to AAM operations more robust. The caveat is: the autonomy timeline is still uncertain. Currently, tasks in conventional aircraft are automated to a high degree, but several additional steps are needed to make these uncrewed operations a reality. Box 1 presents a multidimensional framework for autonomy in aviation. In order to enable these unmanned or remotely supervised operations, regulation and public acceptance will need to keep pace with the rapid technological developments. All stakeholders must appreciate the positive societal impact that AAM can have in a wide variety of sectors and geographies. This impact can be leveraged with different stages of automated operations on board. This white paper focuses first on the wide range of AAM use cases. It then highlights key factors to enable further developments and deployments, and areas where the public and private sectors need to work together. Finally, it zooms into three important, early-adopter sectors that are expected to propel the sector further. Advanced air mobility paves the way for disruptive innovation in the aviation sector. Advanced Air Mobility: Shaping the Future of Aviation 5