Plans to debut electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi services at the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been scrapped after the certification for the engine failed to come through. German urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer, Volocopter, lobbied for authorisation ahead of the games but the setback highlights the critical safety requirements when pioneering new modes of transportation.
Dirke Hoke, CEO, Volocopter said the change in plans was due to “an American supplier who was not capable of providing what he had promised,” adding, “we are a little disappointed but in any case we had said that we would not make any compromises with security.”
Although the main test demonstrations will no longer go ahead, a successful crewed test flight took place at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École which Volocopter reported was the first bespoke commercial vertiport for eVTOL integrated within Volocopter’s approved flights routes in Paris. Commenting on the test, Hoke said:
“Everyone at Volocopter is incredibly proud of how far the company has come and what it means to fly today at Saint-Cyr-l’École. City launches take time to establish a foothold on the ground, and through open communication and dedication, Volocopter has become an embodiment of trust, from our partners, Europe’s leading aviation authorities, and Paris which has become one of the most advanced IAM networks in the world […] We still aspire to fly at the Austerlitz vertiport later this year. Beyond that, we concentrate on the Type Certification of the VoloCity and will start the test phase of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Germany together with our partner ADAC Luftrettung in 2025.”
Adding a new mobility layer to a city is a complex process where safety must remain paramount. For insights from the CEO & Head of UAM at Airbus, Balkiz Sarihan, into what this process entails, watch this short conversation. To hear more on the topic in person, Billy Nolen, Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer at Archer will be answering the question, ‘is the industry ready for the developments in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)?’ at Aerospace Tech Week Americas. Book your ticket for free to find out the answer.
At Aerospace Tech Week, Franc Sanmartí, Director of Sustainability & Aeropolitical Affairs, Vueling Airlines joined to share his insights on the industry’s progress towards the net-zero by 2050 target. This five-minute conversation looked at key targets within the airline, the vital role of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and other emission-cutting initiatives, and Sanmartí’s perspective on the Single European Skies agreement.
Emphasising the importance of SAF, Sanmartí noted that when reducing emissions, 60-70 per cent will come from SAF, compared to 20 per cent from new aircraft technology, 10 per cent from operational efficiency, and the rest from innovations like carbon capture. This highlights that although SAF is critical for the industry’s decarbonisation journey, other efficiency-based tech innovation also has its part to play.
Touching on the Single European Sky agreement, Sanmartí explained that effective digitalisation and innovation can achieve the same emission reduction that the agreement initially proposed. To unlock this, collaboration within the industry and across the value chain will be crucial.
Watch the full interview below for more.
Questions asked include:
Do you think the industry is where it needs to be to hit the net-zero by 2050 targets?
What balance are you striking between investment in SAF and investment in sustainability focused technologies?
Are you satisfied with the Single European Sky agreement’s ability to drive meaningful progress with regards to sustainability?
In an interview at Aerospace Tech Week, Joel Klooster, Senior Vice President, Aircraft Operations & Safety, Viasat shared his insights on the future of air traffic management (ATM) and the critical role of connectivity in delivering airspace modernisation.
With the number of aircraft in operation set to double between 2022 and 2042, the industry must take action to ensure the already congested airspace can support this scale up.
Klooster described Iris as “the first step in the future of ATM.” Iris is Viasat’s ground-breaking satellite-based data link technology that optimises airspace, easing congestion and reducing delays for airlines. During the interview, Klooster discussed the significance of Iris for efficiently managing flights and providing secure communications and connectivity.
As congestion on existing communication networks increases, the need for an enhanced connectivity solution is evident. Klooster explains that without it, the industry will not be able to support the projected increase in flight volumes.
For all this and Klooster’s predictions for the future, watch the five-minute interview below.
Questions include:
As we look to the future, how do you see the global industry improving as result of the long-term benefits of Iris?
Would you argue cockpit connectivity is key to delivering airspace modernisation cross the industry? And why?
How do you think the connectivity landscape will change in the next year or two? And how does this contrast with how you see it developing over the next decade?
From 2025, Heathrow will use digital twin technology developed by NATS to tackle emissions at the airport. The Demand Capacity Balancer (DCB), ‘digital twin’ already predicts and models operational performance in near real-time at the airport but will soon be used to reduce CO2 emissions.
The DCB is a predictive decision-making tool developed by NATS and Frequentis Orthogon that accurately forecasts demand, capacity, and performance metrics from the day of operations and up to six months in advance.
Rolling out a new series of environmental performance-based features, NATS is supporting Heathrow in understanding the most efficient operating plan to reduce emissions. The press release revealed this these improvements would reduce airborne holding and fuel burn and could result in CO2 savings up to 30,000 tonnes a year.
Kelly Stone, Head of Airport Operations, Heathrow said:
“It is fantastic to see the DCBs use extended to environmental performance. Small incremental steps like this are vital to reduce ‘in the air’ emissions to reach Heathrow’s goal of net zero by 2050. I am grateful for NATS’ ongoing commitment in bringing world first technology to Heathrow helping us be an extraordinary airport, fit for the future.”
Guy Adams, Managing Director of NATS Services, said:
“DCB is a proven success at Heathrow, helping save several millions of pounds a year by reducing delay, so it makes perfect sense to harness that same analytical technology to include environmental performance. No other airport in the world has this capability, and NATS is proud to be supporting Heathrow’s ambition.”
“In our reality today, the human is the inefficient side of the process. We make mistakes and have emotions, but artificial intelligence (AI) helps take these away.”
At Aerospace Tech Week, Frank Stevens, VP MRO Services, Embraer joined to discuss how AI, augmented reality (AR), and predictive maintenance are transforming aircraft maintenance. From opening up new learning opportunities to reducing errors and enhancing efficiency, the digitalisation of the industry is changing the game for MRO services.
During this 5-minute interview, Stevens explains how leveraging AR, AI, and predictive maintenance correctly can take human inefficiency out of the process, removing emotion from data interrogation and relieving the industry of “analysis paralysis.” The benefits of effectively using these tech-based tools are countless from enhancing safety to financial efficiency. However, with the industry navigating these emerging technologies, the optimal balance between human and tech is unclear for now.
Watch the full interview now.
Questions:
How are AI, data, and extended reality already revolutionising aircraft maintenance practices, and how do you foresee this developing in the next five years?
Can you outline some of the potential challenges with integrating predictive maintenance and how are you addressing these?
We know the digitisation of these processes can improve operational efficiency etc. What are some of the lesser-known benefits to unlock?
Aerospace Tech Week Americas, 19-20 November will be gathering MRO IT experts from across the industry looking at the possibilities in predictive maintenance, modernising TechOps processes, technical roadmaps and much more. With speakers from United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Boeing, and others, book your free pass to attend now!
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