Urban Air Mobility (UAM) – Making it Realistic to Identified Markets
This year, Airbus Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is focused on bringing UAM to market in the air medical and ecotourism services, with a geographic focus on Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Balkiz Sarihan, CEO of the UAM division, is a leader who understands eVTOL and advanced air mobility. Her holistic approach offers a strong leadership perspective. She understands partnerships, the problems they are solving for the customer, and regulations.
Some audience members at the press briefing focused on air taxis. “It’s a step,” Sarihan said, but she reflected on the need for other market services first. She offered a logical approach to service delivery by reflecting on progress to date.
Sarihan shared perspectives on the air taxi concept. “I get picked up where I am, and am taken where I want to go. A true on-demand service is not where we start.” UAM should first develop itself as a trusted service, she said. Then Airbus should investigate logistics and develop infrastructure before entering the air taxi realm.
2023 was an R&D year, she said, and now in 2024 Airbus is about execution, with “boots on the ground, building, testing,” and a focus on the next phase.
She noted solid international partnerships already exist with Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, but not the U.S. at this time. However, with the Airbus goal of “the highest aviation standards,” it seems that they will be in service following test flights in the second half of the decade.
Sarihan is a businessperson who knows that a “business-viable” product is mission critical. She can entertain the thoughts of industry professionals about who, what, when, where, and how for UAM, but is logical enough to take a tentative approach. She wants to monitor battery use and its cost-effectiveness, serviceability, and maintainability. Many factors are at play in this program.
The first-generation aircraft is in production. Airbus is investing in batteries, “cell chemistry, pouches – the architecture is being designed in a certain way,” she said. Partnership products include cylindrical cells from Asia. Internally, Airbus designs battery packs at its Toulouse, France, facility. Updates regarding battery cells may be forthcoming. Hydrogen fuel-cell technology is on the horizon and still in testing.
Sarihan sees air medical services as the logical first step in the program, followed by ecotourism. UAM is low-emissions and quieter for ecotourism, which can include common tourist destinations, she added. She wants the program to “directly impact communities they want to serve.” Remote locations and scheduled services like rooftop-to-rooftop are not yet prioritized, she said. She wants to “earn and keep the trust of the public.” Airbus is designing the first vertiports at Munich International Airport.
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