Skyways to the Future 2024

Airspace design and modernization A new framework for airspace design and management must be developed to accommodate the dynamic nature of new operations and vehicles. It is envisaged that UAM will not require a new class of airspace, but operations will happen in existing airspace classes. These changes in airspace represent a marked departure from traditional airspace management operations and the crewed aviation ecosystem. Not only does the organization of airspace need to be more dynamic, but changes based on demand, density and other factors will now need to be factored in.11 In traditional aviation, the airspace system is designed by a competent authority and managed by air navigation service providers near airports for crewed operations. In the context of UAM, the airspace (e.g. class G) may be managed by private entities, e.g. providers of service to UAM. The ATC is made aware of the operations if there is a safety and/or operational risk with crewed aviation (e.g. movement from class G to class B). To ensure cooperative traffic management, situational awareness of operations in different classes of airspace should be digitally transferred and made available to ATC and private entities managing UAM airspace. This will help to avoid possible disruptions in this new world of aviation. This new paradigm in airspace management means that new systems, processes and tools must be developed to enable operations in urban environments. Some initial work on standards and CONOPS from other countries – e.g. the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US12 – envision the role of public or private entities to support the traffic management services within UAM environments. This significantly differs from the current airspace management model, which places ATC in the centre. The new CONOPS encourages industry and public sector entities to actively participate in flight safety and decision-making for air traffic management (ATM). This new management system is envisioned to be mainly digital and increasingly automated. This is partly due to the nature of the low-altitude economy – it is simply not possible for trained ATC to manage the volume of flights projected. Since various UAM operations and small drones share the airspace, a network of providers is anticipated. This network will allow the exchange of flight information and other data, giving operators a real-time view of airspace to ensure proper separation and maintain safety. The role of ATC and ATC systems will change. The eventual goal of the modernization programme is airspace integration so that all types of operations are enabled. Roll-out A phased roll-out plan with increasing levels of autonomy will enable a smooth transition from current helicopter operations to a highly networked, dense AAM with high levels of automation to cater to such high volumes. Aircraft should have detect-and-avoid (DAA) or sense- and-avoid (SAA) capabilities that will help the pilot assess traffic. High-level rollout flow FIGURE 6 AAM aircraft with DAAUltra-low volume trials with SORA based one-time approval + UATMS* integrationLimited high-volume trials with automated approval for specific geo-fences + strategic deconfliction Low-volume trials with SORA based block approval + UATMS integrationHigh-volume trials with automated approval + UATMS strategic and tactical deconfliction *Unified ATM systems1 23 45 6 Ultra-low volume trials (with direct ATC coordination) Not only does the organization of airspace need to be more dynamic, but changes based on demand, density and other factors will now need to be factored in. Skyways to the Future: Operational Concepts for Advanced Air Mobility in India 18