Companies to Commercialize AAM in Korea
Many people are worried about traffic jams on their way home during the Chuseok holiday. As an alternative to resolving such ground traffic congestion, the future aviation mobility (AAM) industry will emerge in the future.
According to a survey of 625 adult men and women in their 20s and 40s conducted by an educational institution ahead of the Chuseok holiday, 35.8% of the respondents said "Chu-seok is rather stressful." Traffic congestion on the way home (32.4%) was cited as the main factor in this holiday stress, along with the burden of domestic labor and economy.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport estimated that about 36.95 million people returning home and returning home will move from the 14th to the 18th during this year's Chuseok holiday. The time from Seoul toll booth to major cities is at least three to eight hours, predicting severe traffic congestion.
The future aviation mobility industry is drawing attention as a solution to eliminate such ground traffic congestion and improve accessibility between regions. According to the K-UAM commercialization roadmap presented by the government, AAM technology is expected to become popular in 2030.
The industry is actively jumping into related areas and preoccupying the market to speed up commercialization of AAM in Korea. In particular, various companies have thrown their hat into the ring to develop electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL).
Supernal, an independent AAM subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, is stepping up efforts to develop the next-generation gas "S-A2" with the aim of commercializing it in 2028.
Supernal is developing the S-A2 with the goal of flying it at a cruising speed of 200km/h at an altitude of up to 400 to 500m in the city center. As early as November, it is about to obtain certification of eVTOL aircraft applied to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
With the introduction of AAM, air taxi and eVTOL flight reservation platforms are also rapidly emerging. In April, Moviation launched a "Bon Aer" service that allows you to call AAM aircraft through an application (app).
Through the main air platform, Moviment operates a "VON routine" service linking Gangnam, Seoul and Incheon International Airport by helicopter. It is possible to conveniently reserve services through a smartphone app, and it is characterized by moving the "Gangnam-Incheon Airport" section, which takes an average of more than two hours, within 20 minutes.
Moviation is planning to gradually expand into the AAM transportation area using air taxis and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL), starting with small air transport services that transport passengers by helicopter before the market opens in earnest in Korea.
In order to freely slide over the city center, safety inspection and predictive maintenance of the aircraft are most important. WEFLO is developing a smart landing pad called "verti-Pit" that can identify and predict failures of drones and eVTOLs.
In the existing visual inspection method, there was room for subjective judgment to be involved depending on the evaluator. Another limitation was that each aircraft took at least 10 minutes to inspect. WEFLO verti-Pit can obtain quantitative data on the gas state in a few seconds through AI fusion sensor technology.
WEFLO is making efforts to provide more robust services in preparation for commercialization of AAM. Through the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's drone commercialization project, related data are accumulated, infrastructure is being built in each local government, and smart infrastructure for air taxis is also being expanded.
We are upgrading our inspection and diagnosis technology to accelerate commercialization of AAM, a WEFLO official said. "We want to provide a quick and comfortable way home through this."
