Advanced air mobility is an emerging industry that includes around 250 companies that are seeking to build electric flying vehicles—think cleaner, quieter helicopters—as well as the infrastructure to use them in cities around the world.
It suddenly feels like we’re making extensive progress in the field because of several recent trends, such as the growth of on-demand services, a greater focus on sustainability, and the increased availability of funding. While the cost of advanced air mobility makes it most feasible for business travelers, the goal is to make it available to average consumers at some future point.
First, however, the industry must address several challenges, the most pressing of which relates to infrastructure. Advanced air mobility also requires high levels of electricity, and this should ideally come from renewable sources to promote sustainability. Additionally, advanced air mobility will require a significant amount of skilled labor, as well as the right regulatory systems.
New opportunities will open within advanced air mobility over the next decade, but much uncertainty persists. What will the passenger experience be like? How can we make advanced air mobility more accessible to the average consumer? What can we do to help lower our carbon footprint?
To gain some clarity about the road ahead, we recently caught up with McKinsey partners Robin Riedel and Shivika Sahdev, who are helping lead our work in advanced air mobility. Read more about their views here.