Majority of global eVTOL professionals indicate commercial UAM routes will be operational by 2025

New research collected by Revolution Aero (Reigate, U.K.) with 93 global electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) professionals reveals 56% believe the first commercial urban air mobility (UAM) passenger routes will be operational by 2025. An additional 15% think this will happen between 2026 and 2029, and only 25% think it will happen after 2030.

The research was commissioned by Horizon Aircraft (Lindsay, Ontario, Canada), the advanced aerospace engineering company that has developed the Cavorite X5, which the company says is the world’s first eVTOL aircraft that can fly the majority of its mission exactly like a normal aircraft.

In terms of which countries will have the biggest and most advanced eVTOL markets by 2030, respondents predicted Canada, China and the U.S. would be the top three.

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA, Arlington County, Va., U.S.) estimates that the U.S. mobility market will create 280,000 jobs by 2035.  Globally, 48% of eVTOL professionals interviewed as part of Horizon Aircraft’s research believe the sector will create between 350,000 and 500,000 jobs by then, 12.5% believe the figure will be between 500,000 and 600,000 and 28% think it will be higher than this.

“Our research shows huge optimism amongst those working in the eVTOL sector,” says Brandon Robinson, CEO and co-founder of Horizon Aircraft. “Many believe it is only a few years before the first commercial urban air mobility flights will take place, and this will generate a huge number of jobs and create significant revenue globally.”

On Feb. 18, 2021, Astro Aerospace Ltd. (Dallas, Texas, U.S.), a global leader in eVTOL aerial vehicles and drones, entered a binding agreement to acquire Horizon Aircraft. The transaction is expected to close on or before the beginning of Q2 2021 pending customary closing conditions.

Astro reports that it has developed one of the market’s safest and most efficient eVTOLs in the world. In 2018, the company’s drone, Elroy, was said to be one of the first to seamlessly fly with humans on board. Astro continually defies traditional aviation design, and the acquisition of Horizon will only push the company further, with the ability to reach greater heights working in tandem with Horizon’s exceptional team.