These questions form the opening lines of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, and also guide much of the reporting of the development of eVTOL aircraft to date. However, as reported in this article, more than $7 billion has now been invested in urban air mobility projects, so it seems safe to say that these aircraft no longer belong to the realm of fantasy.

Though we are not yet at the point where we can just ‘open [y]our eyes, look up to the skies and see…’ as the song says, the industry is very much looking to advances in urban air mobility technology for their potential to ease congestion in cities, reduce aviation’s environmental footprint, and offer more convenient travel options in urban areas. As reported here, ‘LEK Consulting estimates that the “advanced air mobility” industry could account for 50 per cent of taxi or ride-share journeys greater than 15km by 2040.’

When ‘Even less avid backers agree that aviation is on the brink of the biggest revolution since the transition to jets in the 1940s’, it is important to be across the issues. We have considered the potential for ‘advanced air mobility’ to serve as a key inflection point for aviation, and you can read more about the development of eVTOLs in our recent article. You can also read our full report looking in more detail at emerging issues in air freight: Global air freight’s future – The sky is the limit.