Page 8 - World Airnews Magazine February Edition 2021

NEWS

INCLUDE ‘DISABLED CITIZENS’

possible stage in the process; we want to
get best-practice in accessibility built into FAST FACTS

egulators, local authorities and the early development and DNA of the The drone and urban air taxi

Rindustry groups around the world industry, so that those with most to gain revolution has arrived.

will need to incorporate the views and are not left behind.” • The COVID-19 pandemic has

priorities of disabled groups in their early If this new transport era is to be fully fast-forwarded the era of drone-
planning phase if the promise - and full realised it can only be done on the basis of based deliveries, providing com-

market value - of advanced air mobility inclusivity, to ensure the needs of disabled munities in lockdown with vital

citizens are fully taken into account from
(AAM) and urban air mobility (UAM) sys- the start. medical supplies

tems are to be fully realised. According to the White Paper these are h�ps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
This is according to a white paper pub- key areas which need to be addressed, technology-52206660
lished jointly by a UK based disabled flying urgently. First is ensuring developers of • The drone market will be

charity organisation called Aerobility and UAM ground infrastructure and platforms worth up to $43 billion by 2025

a global trade association of the advanced fully take into account the needs of disabled h�ps://www.heliguy.com/
air mobility sector called CIVATAglobal. passengers - and the non-travelling public blog/2020/06/24/global-drone-
“From the outset, UAM/AAM services - in considering issues of access and egress. market-will-grow-to-42-billion-
must be planned with the needs of those Second, aviation safety regulators must by-2025/

who stand to benefit most from its intro- take account of the needs of people with • The first flight of an electric air

duction in mind - disabled communities,” reduced mobility in their regulations. Third, taxi in a European city took place

said Mike Miller-Smith, CEO of Aerobility. in smart city programmes where autono- in 2019

“People will be able to fly from origin to mous vehicles are being planned (air and h�ps://www.youtube.com/

destination in ways which seem only ap- ground), it is vital that disabled community watch?v=NxBTzAbPSeY

propriate to science fiction. Once beyond groups are incorporated into the earliest • In January China’s EHang

prototype stage, autonomous air vehicle planning. Before eVTOLs are flying in our launched the world’s first pas-

design will need to develop in ways that cities they will have to be given not just an senger-carrying autonomous

enable their use by visually impaired pas- aviation safety regulator’s certificate to fly electric air taxi sight-seeing flights

sengers and those requiring wheel-chair but a licence from the communities they h�ps://www.youtube.com/

access for example, just as has been done will be serving. Fourth, a repository of “best watch?v=r8HiyGn7VF4&
and is required on many other urban trans- practices” from around the world needs to feature=emb_logo

port networks. Much to the detriment of be launched so developers can understand • By 2040, UAM vehicles could be
those living with disability, we have learnt not just the basic principles but the detailed carrying more than 400 million
the hard and expensive way, that this will engineering solutions. passengers a year

be much more difficult to achieve if not The White Paper can be accessed here: Ur- h�ps://assets.kpmg/content/
incorporated early.” ban Air Mobility - White Paper — Aerobility. dam/kpmg/ie/pdf/2019/10/
“In December 2020, 14 European cities For more information please contact: ie-urban-air-mobility.pdf

delivered a manifesto to the European Marcus O’Shea, Head of Fundrais- • By 2050 there will be up to

Union calling on local authorities to play ing, Marketing & Communications at 160,000 commercial air taxis

a key role in the development of UAM ini- Aerobility on marcus@Aerobility.com operating

tiatives in Europe,” said Andrew Charlton, www.aerobility.com or Philip Butter- h�ps://www.rolandberger.com/

director general of CIVATAglobal worth-Hayes, Director of Communica- en/Insights/Publications/The-

“Our two organisations are now also tions and Strategy at CIVATAglobal on high-flying-industry-Urban-Air-

calling for UAM plans to include represen- Phil.Butterworth-Hayes@civataglobal. Mobility-takes-off.html

tatives of disability groups at the earliest org; www.civataglobal.org Q
World Airnews | February 2021
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