CONSULTANT CORNER AUTHOR Joe Petrie Prepare Your Airport for AAM Next-generation aviation needs demand airport planning contingencies today. ADVANCED AIR mobility (AAM) and urban air mobility (UAM) have dominated the lexicon of aviation leaders for a decade. The concept has morphed from drones and unmanned aircraft into different concepts in recent years. The aircraft and business models are still elusive to real-life service, but airport leaders are taking real steps now to address this future mode of aviation even when the details keep changing. WSP USA Senior Aviat ion Planner and Senior Technical Principal Gaël Le Bris is a leader in helping airports plan for this unknown impact to their operations. He sat down with Airport Business to discuss real life examples of progress and what airports will be impacted by the next generation of mobility. Airport Business: Why is advanced air mobility (AAM) something North American airports need to care about right now? Gaël Le Bris: We're literally at the verge of having the first electric aircraft being certified for the transport of passengers. When we talk about AAM, we need to look at what we mean. Electric aircraft is a technology. Advance air mobility is a way to leverage that technology a certain way along with other things to provide a new way to fly. There are two different opportunities that are extremely interesting for airports and not only large hub airports. When we talk about urban air mobility (UAM), we're talking about using these EVTOLs to address a part of the complexity of airport ground access from downtowns to commercial service airports. Literally flying over the congestion. That's also great opportunity for smaller airports to provide point-to-point on-demand service within large metropolitan areas. Small and regional airports can provide intercity connections either on demand or through regularly schedule regular service. AAM provides an opportunity to revive regional air services by providing a new business model to the aviation community. WSP USA Gaël Le Bris, Senior Aviation Planner and Senior Technical Principal, WSP USA WSP USA AB: Airports are already taxed with infrastructure needs for current technology. Are we prepared for AAM? GL: No. We're getting there, but we're not ready. Now is the time where we need to as the broader aviation community ask ourselves these questions. How do we need to accommodate these aircraft at airports? What do we need to do in terms of infrastructure? What is the plan at individual aviation facilities to achieve that? It's the right time because we see that certification is on the horizon. RANGE MAY/JUNE 2023 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 27 PAYLOAD OR PASSENGERShttp://www.AVIATIONPROS.COM