Skyroads AG starts equipping its automated flight test site at Augsburg Airport. The Munich-based company is taking on the crucial challenge of facilitating the aviation of tomorrow: full traffic automation by Skyroads will render tomorrow’s air transport, called AAM (Advanced Air Mobility), safe and economically feasible. After successful suitability testing, the test site will serve Skyroads and other project partners as a large-scale real-life laboratory for further industrial and academic research and testing of AAM and associated innovative infrastructure. This project, co-funded by the Free State of Bavaria, sets a positive course for the future operation of aircraft, especially in urban environments.
The test field pursues the goal of improving common data communication technologies in aviation so that the open, automated and interoperable Skyroads flight control system can also be operated safely in metropolitan regions. Skyroads is thereby laying the foundation for profitable long-term operations in the AAM industry.
Skyroads enables operators of fleets, ground infrastructure and vertiports (take-off and landing areas for AAM aircraft) as well as aircraft manufacturers to test their vehicles and infrastructures at an early stage of development - while the Skyroads system guarantees the safety of the test flights. At the same time, the company provides support with the test flight application procedures, facilitating the respective approval by the authorities. The partners include Supernal as the AAM division of the Korean Hyundai Group, Flix, the Technical University of Munich with several chairs, Hybrid-Airplane Technologies, FlyNow Aviation, Horyzn, Blueflite, Amazilla Aerospace and Manta Aircraft.
"The new test field is a milestone not only for us but for the entire field of Advanced Air Mobility. We will only see drones for transporting passengers and cargo in densely populated urban areas if we create open, automated and interoperable flight management systems for them. That's what Augsburg is all about," says Corvin Huber, CEO of Skyroads.
"The establishment of Skyroads at the aviation location Augsburg marks the beginning of a new chapter of future mobility in aviation. The Augsburg Airport site offers ideal conditions for implementing such a flight test centre as a real laboratory. We warmly welcome our latest innovation partner, Skyroads, at their new home base," says Maximillian Hartwig, Managing Director of Augsburger Flughafen GmbH.
"Augsburg is a historically established aerospace city. Companies and institutes such as MT Aerospace, Rocket Factory, Premium AEROTEC, supplier companies and the German Aerospace Center DLR are shaping this area today. When it comes to future forms of mobility, including urban air mobility, there is also a lot happening in Augsburg. I am therefore delighted that, in addition to a development company for air taxis, Skyroads has also now settled at Augsburg Airport. In addition to the framework conditions for a full scale laboratory, the company has excellent opportunities here for finding skilled talent and therefore can grow. This is achieved by an aerospace friendly environment, including universities, colleges, the excellent accessibility and the pleasant work-life balance that the Augsburg region can offer, with culture, sports and leisure activities in the countryside while still maintaining a metropolitan flair," explains Dr. Wolfgang Hübschle, head of the economics division of the city of Augsburg.
Skyroads is validating and verifying its system architecture and service approach at Augsburg Airport. At the same time, the Munich-based start-up is creating a safety report and also supporting the development of future certification processes by collecting and evaluating operational experience. The Technical University of Munich is investigating the effects of innovative air traffic on the environment, especially with regard to visibility and noise. The ultimate aim is to provide local authorities with a simulation tool that can be used to predict the impact of future air traffic in order to support informed decision-making.
For Skyroads and Augsburg Airport, the next step is to design and establish an operating agreement that regulates the operation of test and demonstration flights without disrupting conventional air traffic and the neighbourhood of the airport.
