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A New Test Site for Fully-Automated eVTOL Flights to Be Launched in Germany

Infrastructure is a major step towards future AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) but not the final one. Even if we have all kinds of flying taxis and cargo drones, and dedicated vertiports are slowly starting to be built, we need the glue that brings it all together. This is what air traffic management tools are supposed to do, and a new generation must be tailored to the specific requirements and challenges of this new world.
Skyroads will open a test site for eVTOLs at the Augsburg Airport 7 photos
Photo: Skyroads
Skyroads to Open a Dedicated AAM Test Site at AugsburgSkyroads to Open a Dedicated AAM Test Site at AugsburgSkyroads to Open a Dedicated AAM Test Site at AugsburgSkyroads to Open a Dedicated AAM Test Site at AugsburgSkyroads to Open a Dedicated AAM Test Site at AugsburgSkyroads to Open a Dedicated AAM Test Site at Augsburg
Can you picture invisible flight routes being automatically generated in order to guide both air taxis and cargo drones? This isn’t part of some video game, but a vision for the near future. Far away from traffic jams, and politely co-existing with the other conventional commercial flights, unmanned aircraft are getting ready to become a regular presence in urban centers.

In order for things to work, eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) must be part of a wider, shared system, where they efficiently connect with each other and with vertiports. Skyroads, a Munich-based AAM startup sees this as “an intelligent superorganism,” which would be managed through a state-of-the-art traffic management platform.

The company started equipping its first automated flight test center, a premiere for the industry itself. Located at the Augsburg Airport in Germany, it will offer a much-needed platform for specific tests to all the players in the AAM industry. Manufacturers will be able to test their eVTOLs even in the early stages of development, and those who are developing take-off and landing areas for eVTOLs will be able to put their ground infrastructure to the test.

Augsburg is one of the best possible locations for that. Already an aerospace hub linked to important names such as MT Aerospace and DLR (the German Aerospace Center) it will now venture into this new type of air mobility.

In addition to the generous space provided at the Augsburg Airport, the new automated flight test site will also offer technical support for the certification process. Manta Aircraft and Supernal (Hyundai’s AAM divison) are some of the top names that have already been announced as partners for the project.

The Technical University of Munich is another important partner, planning to use this facility for extensive research on the effects of AAM operations on the environment, particularly in terms of noise levels and visibility. We need as many advanced studies as this as possible, before regular eVTOL flights get the green light from authorities. It’s all about safety.

The new test site itself needs to make sure that its future operations won’t affect in any way the current air traffic and airport operations in the area. And this is what the German startup is working on right now. When ready, this site at the Augsburg Airport will become a real-life laboratory for AAM.
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About the author: Otilia Drăgan
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Otilia believes that if it’s eco, green, or groundbreaking, people should know about it (especially if it's got wheels or wings). Working in online media for over five years, she's gained a deeper perspective on how people everywhere can inspire each other.
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