Aena, the world's leading airport management company by passenger volume, UrbanV, an Italian vertical takeoff and landing pad operator, and Volocopter, a German urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer, have signed a collaboration agreement to launch a pilot program to develop the UAM ecosystem. . The program consists of a feasibility study for UAM deployment and a potential commercial operational proof of concept (CONOPS) for a vertical takeoff and landing strip at an airport within the Aena flight network.
The pilot program will take place in two phases. The first two years will focus on a feasibility study for the use of UAM within the Aena network, identifying potential customers, vertical port locations and commercial routes, infrastructure requirements, and possible connections with other modes of transport.
The next step is to evaluate the feasibility of conducting flight tests at the Aena facility (subject to funding, resource availability, flight permits, etc.) to demonstrate the operational concept.
Based on this pilot study, the partnership aims to evaluate the next steps and possible future lines of cooperation for the Spanish UAM initiative. Future lines of work will be subject to rigorous evaluation of pilot results and strategic alignment of each party.
There are no shortcuts to building an efficient and sustainable UAM ecosystem in a new region. This includes understanding market potential, identifying routes frequented by passengers, planning vertical take-off and landing site locations, and engaging additional partners such as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and local governments. Aena, UrbanV and Volocopter have expertise in each part of the aviation industry and are setting out to build an efficient UAM ecosystem in Spain and beyond.
UrbanV and Volocopter have already partnered in Rome to launch the Italian UAM market in 2024 and are currently looking to strengthen their collaboration in Spain. Aena is the world's leading airport management company in terms of passenger traffic. The combined expertise of these three companies will create a blueprint of use cases for targeted locations CONOPS to support future global commercial expansion.
Spain is accelerating its decarbonization efforts, targeting net zero by 2050, primarily through electrification, green hydrogen and biofuels 1 . Aena is 10 years ahead of schedule by committing to net zero by 2040. Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could play an important role in reducing carbon emissions in cities and remote regions in the near future. With zero emissions during flight, very low noise and compliance with the highest safety standards in aviation, Volocopter's eVTOL has the potential to revolutionize the future of aviation and have a major impact on cities across Spain.
Luis Cañon, Director of Innovation and Customer Experience at Aena, said: “Aena’s innovation and digital transformation is based on using technology to improve our current and develop new businesses.
We want to become an international leader in the use of digital tools with the aim of optimizing customer experiences, improving operational efficiency, improving sustainability and developing new businesses around sustainable mobility. This project is part of the company’s global strategy for urban air mobility and the validation of new technologies and processes in the Aena airport network.”
Carlo Tursi, CEO of UrbanV, said: “At UrbanV, we aim to improve people’s lives by providing a fast, efficient, safe and clean alternative to traditional transport solutions for people and goods over short distances by air. We have ambitions to become the leading global operator of the Vertiport network and will be a global pioneer in building some of the first AAM routes around the world. We are delighted to be partnering with AENA and Volocopter, world leaders in their respective fields, and look forward to exploring together with them the great potential to introduce advanced air mobility to the Spanish market.”
Christian Bauer, CFO and CCO at Volocopter, added: “Vocopter’s mission to enable UAM has now expanded to Spain. We are proud to be part of the path to transforming the sustainability of aviation in Spain as well, as eVTOLs offer tourists and business travelers a more efficient, safer and quieter form of complementary air mobility. For Volocopter, this pilot program is another fantastic opportunity to understand the real-world needs and use cases for eVTOL and strengthen our partner ecosystem with Aena and UrbanV.”