On February 7, SK Telecom (SKT), one of South Korea’s top wireless telecommunications operators, announced that it signed a strategic collaboration agreement with the aerospace company Joby Aviation in an effort to promote the development of “air taxis” under its Urban Air Mobility (UAM) services. The agreement involves the development of electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), a type of aircraft that utilizes electric power to take-off and land vertically. This partnership is expected to accelerate South Korea’s long-term goal of commercializing UAM services by 2025 in envisioning a safe and effective aviation transportation system. With a drastic reduction in travel time thanks to the enhanced use of Information Technologies (IT), a new form of mobility service is expected to bring further convenience to the lives of citizens.

The world has moved closer to making flying vehicles a reality, just like in the classic movie Back to the Future. Flying vehicles have been the next big thing for decades but following the advent of revolutionary technologies such as autonomous flight and the fifth generation (5G) wireless communications networks, the idea of flying transportation is now thought to be attainable. With several companies working to create air taxis, traveling is bound to become faster, simpler, and more eco-friendly.

Companies such as Uber, Airbus, Boeing, and Hyundai have invested in eVTOL aircrafts. Specifically, in the UAM industry, Joby Aviation is at the forefront of developing flying taxis as it has carried out more than 1,000 test flights since it began flying full-sized eVTOL prototypes in 2017. The company is accredited for its efforts in developing aircraft that are expected to operate as air taxi services and has become the first eVTOL company to sign a G-1 (stage 4) Certification Basis for their aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As the company specifically teams up with SK Telecom’s mobility platform TMAP, the partnership holds great promise to facilitate the era of UAM and lead the way to further utilize this emerging technology.

The UAM Industry

Technology has always been the driving force in propelling advancements and making lives more convenient and efficient. Following this idea, UAM is regarded as the fundamental solution for transportation problems as it is an aviation industry that envisions secure and safe air transportation for passengers or cargo within urban and suburban areas. According to United Nations (UN), 68 percent of the world’s population is expected to be urban by the year 2050. As the world continues to undergo rapid urbanization, it is projected that many countries will face transportation difficulties mainly due to overcrowding. Due to its fast-paced maneuverability, UAM is seen as the future option for more sustainable travel.

According to Morgan Stanley, a global investment bank, the international UAM market is expected to grow from 7 billion Korean Won (KRW) in 2020 to 1,750 trillion KRW in 2040, making it an industry that anticipates explosive growth. Moreover, according to Professor Kim Joongheon (Department of Electrical Engineering), the UAM industry is not only set to solve problems concerning heavy traffic and densely populated areas but can also be used in emergency services or ambulance systems to reduce the time to transport patients. Professor Kim emphasizes that it has the advantage of relatively easy access to certain areas that are not reachable due to the absence of roads.

Current Steps to Reach the Goal

Like many other countries, South Korea has been taking active measures to promote the establishment of the UAM industry. According to Professor Kim, under the South Korean government’s plan to commercialize air mobility services, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT) began actively promoting the establishment of a UAM system, including urban air traffic control, to become a leading country in the future aviation industry. Furthermore, in 2017, the Korea Institute of Science & Technology Evaluation and Planning (KISTEP) selected 120 key task technologies that require national-level investment and development as autonomous vehicle technologies, whereas integrated control system technologies were selected in the aviation field.

In addition to government agencies, several industries have collectively launched the “K-UAM Grand Challenge,” a large-scale roadmap project expected to enhance the commercialization of UAM services in Korea by 2025. The project has garnered massive public attention as companies including LG U+, Jeju Air, GS Caltex, as well as Kakao Mobility are involved. In fact, on November 11, 2021, a Germany-based aircraft manufacturer Volocopter conducted its first crewed test flight of an eVTOL air taxi in South Korea. A pilot flew a two-seat model aircraft at Gimpo Airport to test and demonstrate its control and coordination. The goal of the K-UAM Grand Challenge is to verify the safety of the UAM system before commercialization and to establish operating concepts and technical standards suitable for domestic conditions.

Currently, numerous countries are actively participating in the research and development (R&D) of the UAM industry. According to the Air Taxi Readiness Index released by global consulting firm KPMG last December, the United States (U.S.), Singapore, and the Netherlands ranked first, second, and third among 25 advanced countries respectively. With the impending era of the UAM industry, Korea's competitiveness has also been favorably evaluated, ranking seventh in the same index. However, although it received high scores in social infrastructure, technology, and consumer acceptance, Korea was only rated 17th in terms of policy regulations. Professor Kim believes that for these services to be effectively commercialized, more investment is required to fund appropriate infrastructure, and improvements in business models are also necessary to continue creating these future transportation services.

As the UAM market expands, Yoo Young-sang, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SKT, foresees UAM becoming one of the major industries in the next 10 years. This means that it is expected to play a central role in the development of related businesses by leading the expansion of communication infrastructure and UAM traffic management services. Regardless of whether the world will encounter air taxis in the near future, with the development of technology, UAM is anticipated to become the next mode of human transportation.