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urban areas, from helicopters to drones. This the vehicle for this market is the easier part,” he says. “Given our
will gradually pave the way for autonomous credibility with authorities, passengers, potential partners, and
eVTOLs carrying passengers. our longstanding aerospace expertise, we are ideally positioned
to bring disruptive end-to-end mobility solutions to the market.”
A key element is unmanned traffic man-
agement (UTM). For almost two years, the Co-creating with Citizens
Altiscope project in A³ has been working To create an entirely new industry, dialogues and alliances
with regulators and key stakeholders to across sectors are crucial, as is the active engagement of com-
define a clear picture of the future of traf- munities. In 2017, Airbus was appointed to lead the European
fic management, publishing the Airbus UTM Commission’s UAM Initiative, which is part of the wider European
roadmap called Blueprint for the Sky and Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities (EIP-
becoming a Federal Aviation Administration SCC).
Low Altitude Authorization and Notification
Capability (LAANC) certified service provider. Vassilis Agouridas,
In December 2018, the Altiscope team tran- Senior Manager Strategic Innovation at Airbus.
sitioned from A³ into the UAM unit to form “Our aim is to mobilise cities and regions across
Airbus UTM. Europe along with a wide ecosystem of stakeholders
interested in launching practical mobility demon-
“This vision laid out by Blueprint will guide stration projects with ground and air mobility”.
our work for years to come,” says del Pozo. Airbus will act as the orchestrator and catalyst for a
“Our team is carrying out projects across European community of urban air mobility.”
the public and private sector, and evaluating,
for example, how all these different types There are currently 17 European cities on-board, with 12 proj-
of flying vehicles might interact sharing the ects under definition, ranging from an exploration of air taxi and
same airspace.” drone ambulance use to how drones might benefit logistics hub
or emergency services.
Well Placed for Success
Airbus isn’t the only company looking to Urban air mobility is much more than technical solutions, though
tap into the potential of urban air mobility. – public acceptance is fundamental. “By planning the active
Joerg Mueller says there are now more than involvement of citizens to become co-creators of future mobility
100 different electric VTOL vehicles under solutions, we are aiming to shape the third dimension of mobility
development by ambitious start-ups and in a sustainable and socially acceptable manner,” Agouridas
established global names. says. “This is in addition to the initial involvement and support
of political, regulatory and civil aviation authorities, as well as
“But Airbus has been building and certify- other institutional transport organisations. Ultimately, this is
ing flying platforms to the highest levels of about our lives, how we move.”
safety for decades. In some ways, building

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