Eve Air Mobility, the Embraer subsidiary company that produces electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, announced the completion of the Concept of Operations (CONOPS) study for the integration of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) into UK airspace.
Led by Eve, the UK Air Mobility Consortium is made up of global companies with expertise in the aviation industry. These include Heathrow Airport, London City Airport, Skyports, Atech, Volocopter, and Vertical Aerospace.
In January 2021, Eve’s consortium had been selected by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to join its Regulatory Sandbox. This mechanism responds to the need to drive regulation in a context of rapid innovation. This is the case with the sustainable urban air mobility market.
The UK authority began to work on the Future Air Mobility Challenge. Its major objective is the development of a strategic framework that will define lower altitude airspace level designs, operating procedures, and the infrastructure required to safely integrate UAM operations across the UK.
The project has already set out a baseline of the key regulatory challenges to be addressed in order to enable safe and efficient zero-emission urban air transport.
CONOPS was developed as a case study focused on London and transportation between Heathrow (LHR) and London City (LCY) airports. It also incorporated modeling simulations and stakeholder involvement to better understand the needs and concerns related to the introduction of this new type of urban mobility.
According to Frederic Laugere, Head of Innovation Services at the CAA: “The infrastructure needed to support the future implementation of Urban Air Mobility. It will be important and a key element for the success of this new sector.” He also stressed the importance of the report in paving the way towards urban air mobility.
For Andre Stein, CEO of Eve, the study focuses on the solutions needed for near-term challenges that could affect initial operations. “Our work also indicates how thriving the eVTOL flight market will be in the UK in the future”, he said.
