In this IIL aviation webinar, Dominic Jackson talks about the emerging Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) sector and the so-called electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft that will address this market.

Description

The world faces two pressing challenges. Congestion in cities is rising to unacceptable levels. This causes poor health outcomes and strangles economic growth. At the same time, humanity must confront the threat of climate change and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) refers to a mode of transport that makes passenger and cargo missions viable to and from locations that were – until now – impractical or uneconomical to serve by air. The vehicles enabling these flights will be driven by an electric or hybrid-electric powertrain. They will be capable of Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) or Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL).

As this paradigm of aircraft are safer, quieter and have far superior unit economics to helicopters, they will be able to be deployed at scale in urban areas, substituting journeys by car. Their range will also enable new regional transport networks that will connect communities separated by inconvenient public transport or impassable terrain.

Learning objectives

• What is the AAM sector and who will it serve?
• Why is it emerging now in the early 2020s?
• What opportunities exist for the insurance industry from this sector (i.e. what volume of vehicles will address this market and what are their safety characteristics)?

Speaker

• Dominic Jackson, Market Development Manager, Vertical Aerospace

Vertical Aerospace is one of many new manufacturers that have entered the space in the past few years to address this emerging market segment. A wide range of designs and business models have been proposed by competitors, taking advantage of the open design space and novel ecosystem requirements.