Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) has announced a partnership with Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. and KT Corporation to accelerate the development of urban air mobility (UAM) and conduct test flights.
The four companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to work towards commercialising UAM by 2028.
In June 2020, the Korean government announced the Korean UAM Roadmap, outlining steps needed to commercialise UAM. Incheon Airport and its partners will align with the roadmap that includes the Korean UAM Grand Challenge, the public-private joint demonstration project that provides the basis for jointly studying the construction and operation of vertiports, airports for UAMs.
IIAC will work to establish the infrastructure and study feasibility of utilising UAM as airport shuttles.
“The breadth and depth of this partnership shows what it will take to build a comprehensive UAM ecosystem to serve megacities like Seoul,” says Jaiwon Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Urban Air Mobility Division at Hyundai Motor. “Building a robust infrastructure and business model is just as important as developing innovative UAM vehicles. This partnership demonstrates Hyundai’s commitment to facilitating progress for humanity by ushering in a new era of urban air mobility that will revolutionise transportation.”
