Preparing airports for advanced air mobility 

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has issued a global ‘Call to Action’, urging the swift, safe, and sustainable deployment of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) technologies. This is a pointer to the fact that airports have to adapt as well, and as quickly as possible to the emerging disruption. As the aviation industry moves forward, they may have no choice. Airports have had to make adjustments as ride hailing services disrupted the car hire service. The challenge facing airports is to begin to plan to meet with this innovation as it may not be too far away. Advanced air mobility is becoming a reality. Airport operators need to assess the opportunity and integrate it into their planning.

This call to action emerged during ICAO’s first-ever symposium exclusively dedicated to Advanced Air Mobility that commenced with high expectations as industry leaders, government officials, and innovators gathered to chart a course for the future of aviation. Experts and industry leaders in AAM and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) were there to exchange research, best practices, and lessons learned, with a focus on the integration of AAM into the global aviation system.

Speaking at the gathering, Nigeria’s aviation minister, Festus Keyamo was reported to have said: “This symposium is timely and presents an important opportunity for Nigeria and other nations to learn from each other’s experiences as we navigate the challenges and embrace the opportunities presented by Advanced Air Mobility.

“As we explore these innovative technologies, Nigeria is committed to working closely with ICAO and other stakeholders to ensure safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable integration into our national aviation system.”

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) refers to the next generation of air transportation systems, focusing on safety, efficiency, and sustainability. AAM encompasses various aspects, such as; Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft,  Urban Air Mobility (UAM),  Autonomous systems, amongst others. All these aircraft are poised to disrupt the aviation industry significantly.

AAM aims to transform the way we travel, transport goods, and services, with potential benefits such as reduced emissions, increased speed, enhanced safety,  improved accessibility, new business opportunities, amongst others. Passenger traffic volumes have started to increase in most regions and are beginning to exceed pre-pandemic levels. As they do, airport operators face another transformative challenge: the need to integrate a new range of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles into their operations and infrastructure, including battery – or hydrogen-powered conventional aircraft; drones for tasks such as cargo movement, aerial surveillance, or even firefighting; and passenger advanced air mobility (AAM), leveraging electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

Regulators have been reported to have set strict operating conditions for people flying small drones, whether as a hobby or for commercial purposes, such as filming, surveying or delivering pizza. By so doing, drones are being kept well away from people, buildings, airports and other aircraft. But as air taxis are being designed to provide journeys in just such places, from an airport to the centre of a city for example, these new aircraft will have to be integrated into air-traffic-control systems, say experts.

Various efforts are reportedly under way to automate air-traffic-control systems so that air taxis, piloted or autonomous, can be merged with flights by airliners and light aircraft. Experts are of the opinion  that  it will require fitting all aircraft with transponders, similar to those already used on large aircraft. These transponders would transmit and receive the flight plans of other aircraft in the vicinity automatically so that pilots, or in the case of autonomous aircraft their flight computers, can see and avoid one another.

Tampa International Airport, in Florida, United States of America, is reported to have taken certain strides in this regard. The Florida airport is working to develop vertiports to support both cargo and passenger services potentially provided by electric vertical-and-takeoff-landing (eVTOL) vehicles. It expects cargo operators to use eVTOLs to move packages from the airport to nearby warehouses and airlines to offer passengers the option of coming to the airport via an air taxi flight. The airport also envisions future air taxi service from the airport to various locations around the Tampa area.

An examination of eight potential vertiport spots at the airport led to six being ruled out, including the tops of parking garages and the rental car centre. But two spots have been identified as viable sites. The airport is reportedly taking, seriously, such issues as site selection, implications for airspace, operations, infrastructure and utilities that will be needed. TPA (Tampa International Airport) decided on site selection based on avoiding the airport’s two parallel runways and a determination that garage roof tops were not ready for vertiports. The site selection was based on the conviction that it will integrate very easily and seamlessly into the cargo business as a starting point, say reports.

Experts believe that airports could charge landing fees to AAM operators in the same way that they charge fees to airlines. They could also provide additional services for a fee, such as charging infrastructure or ground servicing. Additionally, the new passenger traffic is projected to increase non aeronautical revenues from retail or food and beverage. Revenues from ride hailing, taxi fees, parking, and car rentals are believed to slightly decrease, however the overall balance would remain largely positive, say experts.

Airports will need to develop the infrastructure required to enable ultrafast high-powered electric charging and hydrogen refuelling. Many airports around the world are already working toward electrifying ground-service equipment, such as pushback tractors, aircraft-fueling trucks, and baggage loaders. So, these too should be considered as plans are made for this new technology. 

While AAM faces challenges like regulatory frameworks, public acceptance, infrastructure development, and technological advancements, it however, has the potential to revolutionise air transportation and create a more sustainable future.

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