Airservices Australia is preparing for around one million air taxi flights each year across Australia in less than 20 years, with the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympics a key operational period.
The government-owned organisation responsible for safety in the nation’s airspace has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with global aerospace manufacturer Wisk Aero.
Airservices Australia Interim Chief Executive Officer Rob Sharp said the MOU would help both organisations gain insights into the future airspace management needs of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations, such as air taxis.
Mr Sharp said AAM was the next generation of aviation technology and was set to transform transportation with aircraft designed for urban and regional travel.
He said it offered faster, cleaner and more efficient ways to move people and goods and had the potential to reduce congestion, cut emissions and provide rapid, point-to-point journeys.
“In Australia it’s predicted there’ll be approximately 1 million air taxi flights each year by 2043 (and) providers, such as Wisk, are planning to have air taxi services available for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.”
Mr Sharp said the arrangement would enable Wisk, which has developed all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft designed to be operated as air taxis, and Airservices Australia to share expertise which would pave the way for safe advanced air travel in the coming decades.
“As part of this MOU, we will be conducting a series of workshops and simulations aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of how Advanced Air Mobility systems will seamlessly integrate with Airservices systems into the national airspace.
“Airservices will share its air navigation technical engineering and air traffic management expertise to support design, development, and validation of air taxi operations concepts in Australia,” he said.
