Incheon Metropolitan City, IAIAC, and MITRE Unveil Advanced Air Mobility Concept of Operations

March 18, 2024 at 09:30 AM EDT

Concept of operations for the city of Incheon may serve as a model for other cities across the globe.

Incheon Metropolitan City, in a landmark partnership with the Institute for Aerospace Industry-Academia Collaboration (IAIAC) and The MITRE Corporation, has released Incheon’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Concept of Operations. This innovative blueprint provides a comprehensive strategy for the successful integration of AAM into Incheon's transportation network.

The AAM Concept of Operations outlines an approach to AAM integration, with a strong emphasis on safety, community acceptance, and improved mobility. Incheon City’s wide-ranging features, including close island access, and major airports and ports, make the city’s AAM strategy valuable as a potential blueprint for other municipalities.

"The integration of AAM operations in Incheon promises to transform our region's transportation landscape,” said Incheon Mayor Jeong-bok Yoo. “This Concept of Operations serves as a roadmap to that future, prioritizing safety, community acceptance, and improved mobility. We aim to become a world leader in AAM operations, enhancing the quality of life for our citizens, driving economic growth, and promoting environmental sustainability."

“We are at the beginning of an evolutionary leap in air transportation,” said Kerry Buckley, MITRE vice president and director, Center for Integrated Transportation. “Our work in the Republic of Korea has applications in cities around the world and comes at a critical juncture as the United States is actively working on integration of new entrants into the National Airspace System.”

The AAM Concept of Operations is the result of extensive collaboration between Incheon City, its citizens, consortium partners, the national government, international partners, IAIAC, and MITRE It outlines an evolutionary growth path across three phases, from research, development, and demonstration, through to integration and initial commercial deployment, and finally to maturation and expansion.

The document outlines Incheon City's objectives and priorities for AAM, including enabling residents of the Incheon islands to visit mainland Incheon and return home within one day, and providing Incheon residents with a 30-minute travel option around the broader Incheon and Seoul region.

About Incheon Metropolitan City

Incheon Metropolitan City is a major port city adjacent to the West Sea, which is part of the Yellow Sea. It is South Korea's third-largest metropolis, after Seoul and Busan. As an international city, Incheon is a free economic zone, home to the Incheon International Airport, and a host of the Global UAM Regional Summit. Learn more at https://www.incheon.go.kr/en/index.

About IAIAC

The Institute for Aerospace Industry-Academia Collaboration (IAIAC) in the Republic of Korea is a leading organization that promotes synergistic partnerships between the nation's aerospace industry and academic institutions. Learn more at https://iaiac.or.kr/?lang=en.

About MITRE

MITRE’s mission-driven teams are dedicated to solving problems for a safer world. Through our public-private partnerships and federally funded R&D centers, we work across government and in partnership with industry to tackle challenges to the safety, stability, and well-being of our nation. Learn more at www.mitre.org.