Urban air mobility: Not if but when?
At Farnborough Airshow’s FINN Sessions, an expert panel discussed the opportunities offered by urban air mobility, as well as the challenges, such as infrastructure, public acceptance, air space management and…
At Farnborough Airshow’s FINN Sessions, an expert panel discussed the opportunities offered by urban air mobility, as well as the challenges, such as infrastructure, public acceptance, air space management and more.
The panellists were: Guillaume Thibault, Partner, Oliver Wyman; Iain Macbeth, Foresight Manager, Transport for London; Michael Cervenka, Head of Future Technologies Group, Rolls-Royce; and Eduardo Dominguez Puerta, Head of Urban Air Mobility, Airbus.
The idea of urban air mobility – and certainly the idea of it happening any time soon – has its share of sceptics. It was one of the hottest topics at this year’s airshow, though, and the number of announcements and the prominence of the discussion suggest the industry thinks it’s not ‘if’ anymore – it’s just a matter of when.
Following the panel debate we also caught up with experts on the show floor to see what they’re working on and their view on the market.
Pal-V Liberty
Pal-V Liberty is a ‘flying sports car’ that’s going through certification and is about to go into production. It already has 40 orders, the company’s Chief Commercial Officer told us.
Faradair targets commuters
Faradair announced two new variants of its BEHA (Bio Electric Hybrid Aircraft), including an all-electric version aimed at the urban mobility market and a pilot-optional military variant.
Rolls-Royce unveils engine plans
Rolls-Royce surprised many by revealing an electric propulsion system for urban mobility aircraft.
EmbraerX
Antonio Campello, President & CEO, EmbraerX, told us more about the urban mobility aircraft the company is working on, Embraer’s work with Uber and the challenges and outlook for urban air mobility.
“It’s going to happen sooner than everybody thinks,” he said.
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