Aerospace Industry forms Canadian Advaced Air Mobility Consortium

A promising step for Canada’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector has been made, with Canadian Air Mobility and the National Research Council of Canada launching the Canadian Advanced Air Mobility Consortium (CAAM). The consortium, based in Vancouver, aims to forward research, development and commercial viability of the AAM sector by working with relevant stakeholders in aerospace.

AAM aims to reconfigure the nature of transportation, emergency services and supply chain services through the emerging technologies being developed in commercial aviation. Zero-emission verticle takeoff aircraft are expected to become commonplace sooner than what some might expect, with the executive director of the CAAM, JR Hammond, stating that a fifth of aircraft will be zero-emission by 2040.

Hammond expressed that it is critical for AAM to service areas that aviation is currently unable to serve. In order to create a sustainable sector, the technology will need to be inclusive within such communities. There are hopes for lower costs, reduced noise pollution and improved safety, and Hammond pointed to economic viability, environmental benefits and social inclusivity as factors that will propel Canada towards being a global leader in AAM.

Vancouver is well positioned to host such research and development, as new technologies can be integrated into the city’s existing aviation infrastructure. As the technology envisioned for AAM already exists, the CAAM’s focus will be to ensure accessibility, sustainability and safety through a regulatory framework for the sector as it emerges.