Eve Air Mobility, from the Embraer Group, presented today at Airspace World in Geneva, the name of its urban air traffic management software (Urban ATM), and provided updates on the solution’s development.
Vector will be an agnostic software solution designed to address current and future challenges of urban air traffic management (ATM) for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations.
The solution’s services focus on fleet and vertiport operators, as well as future service providers for AAM, including air navigation service providers (ANSPs). The company is moving towards an operational version of the software so that customers can experience and collaborate in advancing the market, reports our affiliated media in Brazil, Aeroin.
«Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft flights will become an established transportation mode for communities worldwide. Eve expects first deliveries and entry into service as soon as 2026 and has been addressing the airspace and Air Traffic Management (ATM) challenges to support the introduction and growth of the market in a harmonized and safe way. Vector will streamline AAM operations from day 1, coordinating all stakeholders involved to enhance safety, optimize performance, and maximize resource usage,» says Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve.
Vector will allow eVTOLs to integrate with other aircraft flying in low-altitude urban airspace from day one of operation and will provide the necessary automation to enable scalability of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market.
To date, Eve has 14 (fourteen) customers for the solution, including fleet operators, vertiports, and air traffic and airspace management providers. With Vector, eVTOL operators will make their operations more efficient; vertiports will manage resource availability with all stakeholders involved in the operation; and ANSPs and Service Providers (PSU) for UAM will optimize airspace and air traffic network for all users.
In November 2023, Eve conducted a simulation with Flexjet to validate and refine Vector’s services under real conditions and better understand the commercial viability and applications of the software. The simulation took place in the United Kingdom and involved 18 flights across eight aerodromes, with exercises on 26 different routes and alternative landing sites to test the standby flight plan functionality.
The team also tested departure and destination delays impacting incoming flights, flight cancellations due to airspace and weather restrictions, and emergencies during flight, including requests for alternative landing sites.
The Eve-Flexjet simulation found gaps between current ATM systems and those needed to support UAM operations from day one of operation, such as the lack of integration between fleet and vertiport operator systems to coordinate eVTOL flights safely and efficiently.
Therefore, Eve is prioritizing the development of services that address these gaps, including integrated flight planning, with airspace and vertiport resource availability; management of alternative landing sites, incorporated into flight planning to support the endurance limitations of electric aircraft; and compliance management to inform stakeholders when flights deviate from the plan potentially affecting other flights.
«Flight dispatchers are responsible for nearly all aspects of an operation, which requires extensive decision-making and tracking abilities. Urban ATM services can support these activities in preparation for AAM operations through increased levels of automation and an integrated view of the relevant information tied to a specific flight. Eve has been actively incorporating features, including feedback received through user testing, into Vector to ensure the value of its services translates directly to the end users,» adds Brenden Hedblom, Eve’s traffic management solutions manager.
As Vector matures, Eve continues to seek additional opportunities to test the solution with its customers and partners. Real-world testing is the best way to ensure that services deliver the necessary value. The company expects to advance this year towards an operational version of the software so that customers can experience and collaborate in advancing the market, preparing the UAM ecosystem for initial operations.
