Impressions from ICAO’s first AAM Symposium 

In September 2024, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) hosted its first-ever Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Symposium in Montreal, marking a milestone in the evolution of aviation. The event drew a record-breaking 1,300 participants, including 400 high-level government officials from 75 countries, aviation industry leaders, and innovators.

The symposium, themed “Advanced Air Mobility Global Harmonization and Interoperability: Challenges and Opportunities”, underscored AAM's potential to contribute to global transportation and mobility landscape with technologies like electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), but also emphasized the regulatory, infrastructural, and societal tasks and challenges ahead.

Munich Airport International (MAI) strongly believes in the transformative power of Advanced Air Mobility and is at the forefront of fostering the development of a comprehensive AAM ecosystem. Apart from supporting our customers in developing their AAM landscape, we are actively engaged in several research projects. MAI’s Managing Director Dr. Lutz Weisser shared our experiences as well as the findings of our research projects on ICAO’s AAM Symposium in a panel on facilitation.

The most significant outcome of the Symposium was ICAO’s Global Call to Action for the safe, accelerated, and sustainable deployment of AAM technologies. Other than that, the ground-breaking event offered very insightful results on various facets of a global implementation of AAM. 

We broke down some of the most important ones for you. 

Dr. Lutz Weisser on ICAO's First Advanced Air Mobility Symposium 2024
Dr. Lutz Weisser on ICAO's First Advanced Air Mobility Symposium 2024 © Munich Airport International GmbH

AAM gaining global momentum

The record-breaking attendance of 1,300 participants underscored the global interest in AAM. ICAO Council President Salvatore Sciacchitano emphasized that "Advanced air mobility will revolutionize the transportation of passengers, goods, and services by reimagining aerial mobility in urban and regional contexts" [1].  However, he cautioned that realizing this vision requires careful consideration and global planning, highlighting the need for collaboration across industries.

AAM technologies, including eVTOL and drones, promise to transform or at least contribute to various sectors, from healthcare, to cargo transport and passenger transport. And it is no fiction anymore – it is happening:

  • In Rwanda and India UAVs are already being used to deliver life-saving blood and medicines, significantly cutting delivery times from hours to minutes.
  • The Canadian startup “Flash Forest” uses drones to deploy tree seedlings as part of reforestation efforts following significant forest fires in Canada.
  • After a series of successful flight demonstrations, US-based Joby Aviation plans to launch passenger transportation services in Dubai by 2026, with significant financial backing from the UAE. Meanwhile, Beta Technologies' eVTOL aircraft can already be seen at Canadian airports.

These examples demonstrate the enormous possibilities of technology if we permit them and invest money courageously in the right places.

As ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar stated, “AAM has considerable impact across various areas and disciplines throughout the aviation system,” [1] and cooperation among all stakeholders is essential to its success.

[1] ICAO Press release: "ICAO Symposium delegates urge international community to act on fostering the deployment of advanced air mobility" | LinkedIn 

AAM will become a reality in some regions first

After the first eVTOL manufacturers started to develop aircraft 15 years ago, the ICAO conference marks significant, visible global progress.

However: As AAM evolves through the technological hypercycle, it becomes apparent that AAM will not develop globally at the same time and pace, but that frontrunners and fast followers will crystallize. Industry forces are increasingly concentrated in these regions. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, USA, Canada, Italy, Germany, France, Kenya, Rwanda and India (the last three in particular UAS) hold prominent positions. First eVTOLs will be delivered to exactly these regions and the people will use eVTOLs there first. The decisive factor for success is significant government support, close cooperation between global companies and local organizations and authorities as well as the will to shape the future.

ICAO's first Advanced Air Mobility Symposium in Montreal 2024
ICAO's first Advanced Air Mobility Symposium in Montreal 2024 © Munich Airport International GmbH

eVTOL manufacturers leading the way and pushing forward

Prominent eVTOL manufacturers, including Airbus, Lilium, Beta, Archer, Eve, Wisk, and E-Hang, were actively involved in the symposium.

Joby Aviation compared the current eVTOL landscape to the early automotive industry, forecasting gradual but transformative growth in the years ahead.

As if this statement had been audible as far away as Bavaria (Germany): During the symposium, media outlets broke the news that the Bavarian government would provide multi-million financial support to Lilium, one of the leading eVTOL manufacturers headquartered in Bavaria, provided the federal government supports as well. This governmental decision underscores the Bavarian government’s dedication to advancing AAM technologies and positions Bavaria as leading global competence area for sustainable air mobility. This significant investment adds to the state funded AAM R&D activities already underway in Munich and Bavaria, enhancing the international opportunities for the sector.

Airbus emphasized the importance of developing sustainable propulsion systems and fostering local ecosystems through collaboration with key partners. One notable example is their cooperation with Munich Airport International to explore the potential of AAM in Bavaria.

Boeing as well is championing "Aviation 3.0," focusing on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and electric propulsion technologies. The company is also advocating for autonomous flight, pointing to the success of drone operations as evidence of its feasibility.

Beta emphasized the importance of the hands-on approach, stating that it is possible to “simply move chargers and aircraft to new locations,” illustrating the pragmatic approach some manufacturers are taking to integrating AAM technologies into existing systems.

Study a vertiport 
Study of a vertiport at Munich Airport 

Vertiports: the backbone of AAM

The success of AAM will hinge on the infrastructure supporting it, particularly vertiports. These facilities will be essential for integrating AAM into existing transportation networks, but their development presents a global challenge. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) emerged as a key financial model to drive forward AAM infrastructure.

Justin Erbacci, Director General of ACI World, emphasized the difficulties in integrating AAM into existing airports, citing complex airspace management and renewable energy constraints [1].

Istanbul Airport serves as a promising example, with its CEO explaining how a new solar field has already been designed to meet the energy requirements of the airport and a future vertiport, positioning the airport as well-prepared for AAM. This was lauded as a forward-looking international example.

To adress the challenges of airspace integration and energy sourcing, Munich Airport International (MAI) has developed a structured 10-step approach, including a tool to estimate future energy demand for vertiports based on traffic patterns and forecasts.

Dr. Lutz Weisser, Managing Director of MAI, participated in a panel on facilitation alongside Skyports, Urban V, and ENAC, that was led by Jean Sebastien Pard from ACI World. The aviation leaders discussed key aspects of facilitation, passenger experience, and cross-border eVTOL traffic. Dr. Weisser shared insights from Munich and Bavaria’s state-funded AAM research and development activities, highlighting the valuable lessons learned from these initiatives – be it regarding processes and passenger experience, airspace integration or energy management. He emphasized the promising opportunities for AAM at both local and international level and noted that Bavaria's support contributes to the global positioning of local players.

Regulatory progress

While global regulatory standards are the long-term goal, local regulations are playing a pivotal role in the interim. Europe, the United States and Canada, UAE, Saudi-Arabia, China, Japan and South Korea are making, among others, significant progress with regulations. The FAA's AAM Integration Office and the EU's Drone Strategy 2.0 exemplify forward-thinking regulatory approaches tailored to AAM’s unique needs.

In several expert discussions, it became evident that a good balance must be found between regulating what is absolutely necessary to guarantee safety and security, and, at the same time, avoiding over-regulation, which would make it impossible to realize innovation.

FAA (Federal Aviation Administration of the US Department of Transportation) for example emphasized that a learning-by-doing approach is currently the best possible way forward. This also means that regulations may have to be adapted after a certain practical trial phase. To facilitate the revision of global regulations, ICAO has appointed an expert working group to review the relevant ICAO Annexes over the next few months.


Safety and security as a key drivers

The symposium's focus on safety and security was underscored by its timing on September 11, a date that serves as a reminder of aviation's vulnerabilities.

Safety is critical to public and user acceptance of AAM, with the industry targeting a safety standard of 10⁻⁹, equivalent to traditional aviation.

Adapting Safety Management Systems (SMS) from conventional aviation and developing robust risk management strategies, both pre- and post-operations, will be essential for AAM’s operational success.

Regarding security: Experts have worked out the differences and similarities between AAM and conventional aviation and have identified clear differences which leads to the conclusion that adapted regulations are recommendable. No doubt: risk must be consciously assessed when establishing regulations and the expected (in the beginning rather low) traffic volume. However, there is a clear tendency among experts to base AAM security regulations rather on those for small aircraft and helicopters at small landing sites than on those for large airports and hubs. So called lean "baseline regulations", which are reviewed after certain test phases, also appear to be the practicable approach.

Similar to commercial aviation, the development of a safety and security culture among personnel and all those involved will play an important role.

Cyber security forms a category of its own and must be discussed with great attention, especially when IT systems are set up outside highly secured airport environments and aircraft are to fly autonomously or beyond visual line of sight in the future. Ensuring secure IT environments will be paramount as AAM technology advances.

Staffing and training: preparing the workforce for AAM

The further development of AAM will require a specialized workforce, particularly at eVTOL operators and vertiports. Comprehensive training of ground handling personnel and pilots are crucial and training programs must be designed to address Stakeholders, including regulators, operators, and training providers, must collaborate to ensure that these programs are effective and up to date.  

Democratizing AAM services

eVTOL services, while still in the nascent stages, are anticipated to be rather an exclusive offering for premium passengers in the first years of operations. However, there was a clear consensus at the symposium that these services need to be democratized quickly to ensure sustainability and societal acceptance. The use of eVTOLs and UAS for medical purposes, such as delivering blood and medicines, can play a pivotal role in fostering public acceptance.

Conclusion

The ICAO AAM Symposium was a landmark event, signaling that AAM is not just a distant vision but an impending reality. ICAO’s Global Call to Action stressed the importance of regulatory harmonization, cross-sector collaboration, and strategic infrastructure development to ensure the safe and sustainable deployment of AAM technologies.

Munich Airport International remains committed to supporting AAM's development, acknowledging that there may be challenges ahead, but confident that the industry will eventually achieve its first major successes.

Author

Oliver Schultes

Oliver Schultes

Project Manager Corporate Development