The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has unveiled a new report detailing the financial and economic business case for urban air mobility (UAM) and its benefits for business aviation users. The report, titled Business Aviation Embraces Electric Flight: How Urban Air Mobility Creates Enterprise Value, was a joint undertaking of NBAA and NEXA Advisors. It is a component of a larger study released in August 2019, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Economics and Global Markets 2020-2040, which was a joint undertaking with NBAA, Aviation Week Network and other industry groups. The study analysed 74 cities around the world, forecasting the financial and economic business case for UAM.

UAM is expected to become an increasingly important part of the transportation system over the next several years with the introduction of eVTOL aircraft. These battery-powered rotorcraft, which will utilise an array of emerging advanced technologies, are expected to be quieter and safer than current helicopters.

“These reports highlight the potential of eVTOLs to transform short range air transportation, especially for those companies and individuals that use business aviation,” says NBAA senior vice president of strategy and innovation Mike Nichols, CAM, co-author of both the study and the white paper. “Such companies are expected to be among the first eVTOL users because these vehicles will solve the 'last mile' or 'door-to-door' challenge by moving people quickly from a company office to meetings in city centres that are near to existing heliports or newly constructed vertiports, or to outlying airports, so passengers can depart on a business aircraft or scheduled airline flight.”

To determine the ability of metro areas to capitalise on the potential of eVTOLs, the study examined each city's needs with regards to UAM, including infrastructure, regulation, GDP, congestion, current transportation networks and dozens of other factors.

“We have long known, and NEXA's prior studies have proven, that business aviation creates significant enterprise value for many of the world's top performing companies,” adds NEXA Advisors' managing partner and co-author Michael Dyment. “We now know that the addition of eVTOL aircraft to business aviation operators will further increase their productivity and mobility. This translates into a positive impact on long term enterprise value.”