Among the myriad questions that must be resolved if urban air mobility (UAM) is to become a reality is its integration into the air traffic system. To solve that conundrum, Eve Air Mobility has announced a partnership with NATS Services, the commercial arm of the UK ATC provider, to develop ATC services for UAM operators in the UK and worldwide.
The MoU signed at the Dubai Airshow solidifies the partnership between the two companies. They have been working together on a more informal basis since early 2021.
“Our first association with NATS began in early 2021 as part of the UK UAM Consortium with the UK CAA Regulatory Sandbox, developing a concept of operations for the London environment, including air traffic management arrangements and proposing new regulatory solutions,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve. “Our work with NATS throughout the years both fortifies our newly established relationship and supports our forthcoming projects and future endeavours designed to transform the urban air mobility sector globally.”
“We already work closely with Eve as part of the UK Future Flight Phase 3 AMEC project, working to prepare UK airspace for future UAM operations,” added NATS Services MD Guy Adams. “Going forward, we intend to grow our collaborative efforts to explore future traffic management products and solutions worldwide and enable the introduction and scaling of UAM across many countries in a consistent, high-performance and safe approach.”
While some resistance may be encountered in implementing any solution, the ‘not invented here’ trait is strong among regulators. It is refreshing to see that moves are being made that have advanced beyond ‘something must be done’ to the actual creation of solutions.
