Infrastructural Requirements and Regulatory Challenges of a Sustainable Urban Air Mobility Ecosystem

Abstract

The United Nations has long put on the discussion agenda the sustainability challenges of urbanization, which have both direct and indirect effects on future regulation strategies. Undoubtedly, most initiatives target better quality of life, improved access to services & goods and environment protection. As commercial aerial urban transportation may become a feasible research goal in the near future, the connection possibilities between cities and regions scale up. It is expected that the growing number of vertical takeoff & landing vehicles used for passenger and goods transportation will change the infrastructure of the cities, and will have a significant effect on the cityscapes as well. In addition to the widely discussed regulatory and safety issues, the introduction of elevated traffic also raises environmental concerns, which influences the existing and required service and control infrastructure, and thus significantly affects sustainability. This paper provides narrated overview of the most common aspects of safety, licensing and regulations for passenger vertical takeoff & landing vehicles, and highlights the most important aspects of infrastructure planning, design and operation, which should be taken into account to maintain and efficiently operate this new way of transportation, leading to a sustainable urban air mobility ecosystem.