Urban air mobility for airport access: Mode choice preferences and pricing considerations

IF 6.3 2区工程技术 Q1 ECONOMICS

Transport Policy Pub Date : 2025-07-19 DOI:10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.07.027

Filippos Adamidis , Chiara Caterina Ditta , Hao Wu , Maria Nadia Postorino , Constantinos Antoniou

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The increasing use of commercial aviation in the last decades has urged us to reconsider landside airport accessibility to meet the evolving demand. At the same time, the third (vertical) dimension in urban and suburban areas – i.e. the lower airspace up to 500 m above the ground – has yet to be substantially exploited for transportation. Soon, technological advances in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft could enable the commercial use of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) for airport access. Through a case study in Bavaria, Germany, and Austria, this research aims to investigate the potential users’ willingness to pay for a novel UAM AirShuttle service, which could connect the airport of Munich with important points in its catchment area, and to analyse their transportation mode choices when accessing the airport. A stated preference mode choice survey was disseminated through an online panel during March 2023 in the catchment area of the airport to assess the current travel behaviour of the population, including the ownership of mobility instruments, the current state of airport accessibility and the satisfaction of the respondents (N=218) with the currently available modes. Furthermore, the survey investigated directly how much the respondents were willing to pay to use the AirShuttle and their sociodemographic background. The results were evaluated using descriptive statistical analyses and discrete choice modelling. The findings reveal that most respondents were satisfied with the current access modes and found their pricing reasonable. On the other hand, their willingness to pay for UAM services was lower than expected. This study yields important implications for the industrial stakeholders of UAM and for policymakers; by analysing the results, it was concluded that the expectations of the industry and potential customers regarding UAM pricing in the short term could be different and that its benefits and implications for society should be carefully weighed by policymakers.

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机场的城市空中交通：模式选择偏好和定价考虑

在过去的几十年里，商业航空的使用不断增加，这促使我们重新考虑陆地机场的可达性，以满足不断变化的需求。与此同时，城市和郊区的第三（垂直）空间- -即距地面500米以下的较低空域- -尚未大量用于运输。很快，电动垂直起降（eVTOL）飞机的技术进步将使城市空中交通（UAM）在机场的商业用途成为可能。通过对德国巴伐利亚州和奥地利的案例研究，本研究旨在调查潜在用户是否愿意为一项新颖的UAM空中穿梭服务付费，该服务可以将慕尼黑机场与其集水区的重要地点连接起来，并分析他们在前往机场时的交通方式选择。2023年3月，在机场集水区通过在线小组传播了一项明确的偏好模式选择调查，以评估人口当前的出行行为，包括交通工具的所有权，机场可达性的现状以及受访者（N=218）对当前可用模式的满意度。此外，该调查还直接调查了受访者愿意为使用AirShuttle支付多少费用以及他们的社会人口背景。使用描述性统计分析和离散选择模型对结果进行评估。调查结果显示，大多数受访者对目前的接入方式感到满意，并认为其定价合理。另一方面，他们为UAM服务付费的意愿低于预期。这项研究对UAM的行业利益相关者和政策制定者产生了重要的影响；通过分析结果，得出的结论是，行业和潜在客户对UAM短期定价的期望可能不同，政策制定者应该仔细权衡其对社会的好处和影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Transport Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

12.10

自引率

10.30%

发文量

282

期刊介绍： Transport Policy is an international journal aimed at bridging the gap between theory and practice in transport. Its subject areas reflect the concerns of policymakers in government, industry, voluntary organisations and the public at large, providing independent, original and rigorous analysis to understand how policy decisions have been taken, monitor their effects, and suggest how they may be improved. The journal treats the transport sector comprehensively, and in the context of other sectors including energy, housing, industry and planning. All modes are covered: land, sea and air; road and rail; public and private; motorised and non-motorised; passenger and freight.