HOME MyTRB CONTACT US DIRECTORY E-NEWSLETTER FOLLOW US RSS


The National Academies

ACRP Synthesis 11-03/Topic S03-17 [Active (Synthesis)]

Airport Centric Advanced Air Mobility Market Study
[ ACRP 11-03 (Synthesis of Information Related to Airport Practices) ]

  Project Data
Funds: $45,000
Staff Responsibility: Jordan Christensen
Research Agency: RSG
Principal Investigator: Mark Fowler
Fiscal Year: 2021

Final Scope
 
 
BACKGROUND
Advanced air mobility (AAM) is a broad concept enabling consumers’ access to on-demand air mobility, cargo and package delivery, healthcare applications, and emergency services through an integrated and connected multimodal transportation network. However, a number of challenges may impact AAM's growth potential, such as the public acceptance of autonomous flight, the availability of departure and arrival stations, electric/hydrogen infrastructure, integration into airspace and with other modes of transportation, and competition with shared automated vehicles (SAVs) and other emerging transportation technologies. Several market studies have forecasted the demand and growth potential of various AAM submarkets (e.g., air taxi, airport shuttle, etc.), use cases (e.g., passenger mobility, goods delivery, emergency services, etc.), and geographies (e.g., urban, rural, etc.). Legacy or existing airports have unique opportunities and challenges when it comes to AAM and a key role to play. A synthesis is needed for existing airports that summarizes, compares, and contrasts existing AAM market studies.
 
OBJECTIVE & AUDIENCE
The objective of this research is to summarize, compare, and contrast existing AAM market studies, and analyze and identify research gaps for information that airports need. The audience for this report are airports, transportation planners, state and local governments, policy makers, and other key stakeholders.
 
INFORMATION TO BE GATHERED & TASKS
The following information will be described in a concise report:
·       Summarize and evaluate the existing body of literature and other critical documents (e.g., NASA, FAA, etc.) that have forecasted market demand for AAM (e.g., number of passengers, number of trips, mode split, number of aircraft, etc.). Include the sources, sponsors, and methodologies employed, geographic scope, and other key methodological similarities and differences through a meta-analysis of the existing body of literature.
·       Identify and document use-cases and opportunities for airports, e.g. cargo operations, airline passenger connectivity, first responders, and new airport opportunities to connect existing airports.
·       Identify the key planning considerations that airports should consider for AAM planning, e.g. air traffic control, passenger screening, security considerations, first mile last mile, and utilities and infrastructure.
·       Describe areas for further research to fill gaps in knowledge and advance the state of the practice for implementation of AAM at airports.
·       Create an appendix that lists questions that airports could utilize when communication with OEMs, infrastructure companies, and other industry groups.
Tasks will include the following:
1.       Literature review and meta-analysis (or similar methodology) to compare/contrast existing studies.
2.      Survey diverse size and geographic airports to determine their familiarity and engagement with AAM.
3.       Interview at least 5 airports located in key AAM markets to understand their planning considerations and AAM implementation practices. Consider coordinating with AAAE, ACI-NA, NASAO and CAMI.
4.      Interview or evaluate at least 5 OEM’s or infrastructure companies to understand what their primary considerations are in working with airports.
5.      Document case examples highlighting airport practices based on the airport interviews conducted in Task 3.
 
Partial Information Sources
Becker, K.; Terekhov, I.; Niklaß, M.; Gollnick, V. A Global Gravity Model for Air Passenger Demand between City Pairs and Future Interurban Air Mobility Markets Identification. In Proceedings of the 2018 Aviation Technology, Integration, and Operations Conference, Atlanta, GA, USA, 24 June 2018.
 
Goyal R, Reiche C, Fernando C, Cohen A. Advanced Air Mobility: Demand Analysis and Market Potential of the Airport Shuttle and Air Taxi Markets.
Sustainability. 2021; 13(13):7421.
 
Grandl, G.; Ostgathe, M.; Cachay, J.; Doppler, S.; Salib, J.; Ross, H. The Future of Vertical Mobility: Sizing the Market for Passenger, Inspection, and Goods Services Until 2035; Porsche Consulting: Stuttgart, Germany, 2018; pp. 1–36.
 
Herman, E.; Dyment, M. Urban Air Mobility Study Prospectus; Nexa Advisors: McLean, VA, USA, 2019; pp. 1–32.
 
Lineberger, R.; Hussain, A.; Silver, D. Advanced Air Mobility. Can the United States afford to lose the race? Deloitte. 2021.
 
Mayor, T.; Anderson, J. Getting Mobility Off the Ground; KPMG: Atlanta, GA, USA, 2019; pp. 1–12.
 
McKinsey & Company. Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Market Study; National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Washington, DC, USA, 2018; pp. 1–56.
 
Morgan Stanley Research. Are Flying Cars Preparing for Takeoff; Morgan Stanley: New York City, NY, USA, 2019.
 
Reich, C.; Goyal, R.; Cohen, A.; Serrao, J.; Kimmel, S.; Fernando, C.; Shaheen, S. Urban Air Mobility Market Study; National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Washington, DC, USA, 2018; pp. 1–163.
 
Shaheen, S.; Cohen, A.; Farrar, E. The Potential Societal Barriers of Urban Air Mobility; National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Washington, DC, USA, 2018; pp. 1–115.
 
TopicPanel
Yotam Avrahami, Deloitte
Joseph Carney, Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport
Brett Fay, Tampa International Airport
Bryant Francis, Port of Oakland
Nathaniel Polsgrove, Garver
Yolanka Wulff, Community Air Mobility Initiative
Chris Oswald, ACI-NA
 
 
Consultant
Mark Fowler, RSG
802/295-4999
Mark.Fowler@rsginc.com
 
TRB Staff
Jordan Christensen
202/334-2317
 
Activities
First Meeting: March 22, 2022
Teleconference: May 5, 2PM eastern
Workplan Delivered: May 19, 2022 
Comments Due (Email): May 27, 2022
Draft Report Delivered: October 24, 2022 
Second Panel Meeting: November  17, 2022
 

To create a link to this page, use this URL: http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5270