Industries
Travel and Logistics
Data and AI in Travel Industry for a Memorable Passenger Experience
HIGHLIGHTS
- The dawn of advanced air mobility (AAM) holds the promise to redefine everyday commute, alleviate urban traffic congestion, and offer sustainable first-mile and last-mile delivery solutions.
- The true potential of AAM, however, depends on seamless integration with established systems—and the development of new infrastructure such as vertiports and vertihubs.
- The evolution of AAM will, therefore, be defined by three foundational pillars: agile actions for adaptability and responsiveness to rapidly emerging operational scenarios, an adaptive ecosystem play to harness synergies among stakeholders, and autonomous operations to leverage automation for safety, productivity, and efficiency.
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How advanced air mobility can evolve from a vision to reality
The next generation of aircraft is already taking shape.
Superhuman feats in the sky are no longer reserved for the realm of cinema or comic books. The dawn of advanced air mobility (AAM)—anchored by electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and supported by vertiports, new-age air navigation services (ANS) and governing regulations—promises a near future where the everyday commute may begin at the neighbourhood community centre and end on the rooftop of one's office. With roots in humanity’s age-old dream to transcend time and distance, AAM heralds a pivotal breakthrough that stands to redefine urban mobility.
For AAM to become a reality, we will need the next generation of aircraft. These aircraft are already taking shape, being continually refined to ensure greater safety, optimal payload capacity, improved convenience, and scalable economies.
However, the road to operationalising these aircraft is not without hurdles. Progress requires addressing multidimensional challenges:
- Implementing advanced, multi-layered safety redundancies and intuitive piloting mechanisms
- Engineering lightweight, durable components to guarantee airworthiness
- Transitioning to sustainable processes and lifecycle of power sources
- Collaborating with regulatory bodies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on robust operational frameworks
- Defining new air routes with air navigation service providers (ANSPs)
- Transitioning from physically piloted to remote-piloted and, ultimately, fully autonomous flight
Despite these complexities, the industry’s appetite for AAM is both timely and unambiguous. AAM stands poised to:
- Alleviate urban traffic congestion
- Offer sustainable, alternative first-mile and last-mile delivery solutions
- Bridge connectivity gaps in rural and underserved regions
- Deliver faster, more efficient journeys and unlock unprecedented value within the mobility ecosystem
AAM will be a value multiplier
AAM is not just a standalone revolution, but an extremely valuable extension of the existing transportation network.
Its true potential depends on seamless integration with established systems—and the development of new infrastructure such as vertiports and vertihubs.
Planning and operation, traditionally considered distinct functions, will increasingly blur due to shorter flight durations, higher frequency, and the highly dynamic nature of AAM operations. Efficient synchronization among vertiports, schedules, flight plans, aircraft, loads, and crews will become the norm, with the ultimate vision of dynamic, on-demand AAM services akin to ride-sharing platforms. Passengers may soon summon air taxis to and from any desired location, seamlessly connecting with flights, trains, and other transport modes.
To ensure reliability and minimize disruptions, proactive management of operational deviations (eg, delays, cancellations) must be embedded in the ecosystem. Collaborative MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) capabilities will be essential, ensuring timely resolution of technical issues—whether at maintenance bases or on-the-fly at vertiports.
Effective communication protocols, real-time data sharing, and rigorous regulatory compliance will be imperative to ensure both safety and interoperability.
The smooth operation of AAM will require unprecedented collaboration among a diverse array of stakeholders: urban air service providers, ANSPs, electric vertical takeoffs and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers, airports, ground handlers, fleet operators, pilots, and maintenance crews. Building this robust network is vital for creating incredible travel experiences with the perceived value being a function of time and convenience.
The initial areas of benefit are likely to be:
a) airport transfers in congested cities
b) better healthcare services with faster emergency management and organ transplant logistics
c) certain segments of tourism involving remote destinations and aerial tours
A leading eVTOL company has trialed for medical evacuations and rapid response in urban environments. Its compact design enables rooftop landings at hospitals and accident scenes, providing faster patient transport than ambulances, especially in congested cities.
According to another leading company in the US, their eVTOLs have been developed specifically with the goal of urban air taxi services. By providing a new layer of transportation above ground-level traffic, they aim to relieve congestion in densely populated metropolitan areas. They are also advancing towards setting up air taxi operations in Dubai, in partnership with Road and Transport Authority, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, and the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.
The three pillars shaping the AAM landscape
The evolution of AAM will be defined by three foundational pillars.
These pillars (see Figure 1) will deliver operational excellence, frictionless traveler experiences, and widespread value to communities.
Figure 1
Key foundational pillars for evolution of AAM
Figure 1
Realising such transformative outcomes demands a collaborative, forward-thinking approach.
Technology imperatives:
Existing aviation IT systems, limited by legacy constraints and operational silos, cannot support the harmonized ecosystem required for AAM.
The sector needs unified, intelligent platforms that offer:
- Real-time situational awareness and actionable intelligence
- Seamless orchestration of contextual data, composite business processes, and collaboration across all ecosystem participants
- machine-first intelligent choices and auto-correction capabilities
Central to this transformation is the creation of a ‘digital mobility spine’—a backbone that unifies data, events, and processes into a cohesive, semantically-connected structure. This enables:
- Swift detection of anomalies and predictive scenario planning
- Collaborative, data-driven decision-making, and purpose-driven convergence
- Continuous calibration, simulation, and re-baselining underpinned by artificial intelligence (AI)-powered dynamic decision tools
Cleared for takeoff
Looking ahead, AAM is set to become a seamless thread in the travel tapestry—alleviating congestion, erasing boundaries, and directly confronting the global imperative of carbon reduction.
The harmonious union of robust processes, advanced technologies, and purpose-built regulations will be a launchpad to accelerate the transformation of the airspace from a perceived barrier into a dynamic bridge—one that connects communities, opportunities, and aspirations worldwide.
By thoughtfully addressing technological, operational, and regulatory challenges, AAM will not only achieve its potential as a marvel of modern transportation, but also help build a sustainable, inclusive value chain.