Skies rife with drones transporting packages from house to house, Small, piloted aircraft for travelling from place to place by air, vertical airports in housing blocks themselves… It sounds like science fiction, but it's much closer than we think. The technology already exists, there are companies manufacturing the devices, and in 2023 the European regulation will be approved, which will allow, for example, the sending of goods by drones.
Ana Pérez She is the Head of Airport Planning and Certification at AERTEC, an aerospace company. She participated in the round table on Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) at the 12th European Forum for Science, Technology and Innovation (Transfiere), alongside executives from EHang, Aena, and the DGT, among others, and has given an interview to EL ESPAÑOL of Malaga.
Advanced air mobility.
It is a sustainable solution for passenger and cargo transport by means of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, with or without a pilot. All changes in transportation have always had a significant implication for society. At the beginning of the 19th century, when cars appeared, hardly anyone had one, and now most families have two. A hundred years ago, when commercial flights began, flying was a luxury within reach of very few, and now we all fly. These improvements pale in comparison to the revolutionary changes that advanced air mobility will bring about.
The idea is to be able to move around in urban and interurban environments by flying, initially with a pilot and then without one, more quickly, more safely, more sustainably, and more quietly.
There are two aspects. On the one hand there is freight transport, and on the other, that of people. Starting with the first. When will we see drones carrying packages to homes in Spain?
Development depends on the vehicle and airspace. For cargo, there are already certified vehicles, and in 2023, we will have regulations that will allow the compatible use of airspace for unmanned aircraft, cargo drones, alongside regular aircraft. In fact, there are already companies conducting pilot tests in various countries. One of these is Wing, which already has 300,000 drones Delivery and ten locations in Finland, the United States, and Australia. They are already carrying out these operations. In Europe, it will be from 2023 onwards with the approval of that regulation.
So this year there will already be aerial delivery of packages by drones in Spain and Europe.
Yes. Wing, for example, delivered its package faster in two minutes and 37 seconds in those tests we discussed. That company has an app, much like Glovo's, where you order something and they send it to you quickly because, being by air, you avoid traffic jams.
How will the packages be delivered to the housing blocks?
The drone launches a rope with the package, and the customer unhooks it and takes it. Currently in the United States and Australia, they are sending them to private homes, but in Finland, they are already allowing deliveries to public places like parks because it has been verified that it is safe.
How will the use of airspace be regulated in that European regulation so that there are no interferences with thousands of drones flying and delivering packages?
Different levels will be defined. Parcel delivery will be the lowest level of altitude, cargo a medium level, emergencies in another, and higher levels will be left for manned aircraft. The airspace is now being stratified from the highest level downwards.
Let's talk about personal aerial vehicles now. When will they be operational?
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) anticipates that the first air taxis could be seen by next year, for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Initially, they will be similar to Uber, but the aim is for them to become standardised and used for private purposes from 2030 onwards.
How would the air taxi work?
It could be compared to using a helicopter in big cities like New York or Dubai, where wealthy individuals travel from their helipads to the airport or from helipad to helipad. As costs are reduced, this service will become available to more people. For example, you could fly from Paris to Malaga by plane and instead of travelling to Marbella by car on the road, you could take a drone in ten minutes. And in the end, everyone will end up using it to leave their homes as a private vehicle.
Let's see if in the end there are going to be more traffic jams in the air than on the ground.
(Laughs). The good thing is that in the air there aren't the obstacles we have on the ground with buildings, mountains, and so on, and the capacity is greater, so it would be simpler.
There are already companies like EHang, among others, that are manufacturing these flying cars.
Yes, and they are vehicles a step away from being certified for use. Initially, they will be piloted, with the aim of eventually becoming fully autonomous vehicles like drones for the Delivery. The technology already exists, but to reduce the risk to zero, those aircraft must be certified.
They'll be worth a fortune.
Yes, but it will be like, for example, with mobile phones. At first nobody had them and they were very expensive, and today even children have them. The innovation cycle is getting shorter and shorter.
It all sounds like science fiction, but you mention that it will be seen in the short and medium term.
Yes. What's coming in the next ten to fifteen years is spectacular.
Vertiports will need to be built so that cars can take off and land. How will they be made?
Yes. There are three legs to this. One is the vehicle, another is the airspace, and a third is the specific infrastructure required for these vehicles. There will be different types of vertiports depending on size and location. There will be some near airports with larger platforms, and others smaller ones at ports, hotels or exhibition centres. And then we will move on to those we have in our homes.
I'm thinking about the large-scale residential tower blocks. Making these vertiports will require a significant change in mindset and urban planning when it comes to designing cities.
The challenge for architecture will be not only making buildings attractive but also undertaking urban planning for the city. Cities need to be designed to accommodate vertiports, a further step towards sustainable cities. Previously, rooftops were used for drying clothes and perhaps a storage room; they were the least desirable part of a building. With architectural changes, the upper levels have become penthouses with views and terraces where people live and enjoy themselves. The next step will be to consider vertiports. It will naturally be much simpler for individual houses. The challenge lies with communal buildings.
Interview conducted by Ángel Recio, «El Español» newspaper (read original article)
