Urban Air Mobility: Airport Ground Access Demand Estimation

Abstract

This study aims to estimate passenger demand of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) for airport ground access trips while considering airspace restrictions in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. UAM is a concept mode of transportation designed to bypass ground congestion for timesensitive, price-inelastic travelers using autonomous, electric aircraft with Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) capabilities. Airport ground access trips constitute a trip purpose that can utilize this mode. This study analyzes originating ground access trips for two major airports in the Dallas-Fort Worth region: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL). First, a mode choice model is calibrated on the existing airport ground access behavior. UAM demand is then estimated using the developed model, airspace restrictions, and the results from UAM demand stated-preference surveys in literature. Airspace restrictions consist of unusable pieces of airspaces based on current air traffic patterns, where the placement of UAM vertiports and overflying of UAM vehicles are prohibited. The demand model considers the trajectories of the UAM vehicles, which navigate on pre-defined routes inside Class-B airspace to prevent Air Traffic Control (ATC) involvement requirements. This study includes sensitivity analyses of UAM demand to the cost per passenger mile (CPM), number of vertiports placed in the region, and other secondary factors like vertiport location, intermodal cost, fixed cost, and average speed. Corridors with significant UAM demand are identified from the spatial distribution of demand and potential bottlenecks in the UAM network. The findings predict up to 4% market share of UAM for trips to the airport at the optimistically lower fare of $2 per passenger mile (in addition to the fixed cost of $23) and a 50-vertiport UAM network. Average Value of Times (VOTs) for business and non-business travelers are estimated to be around $57/hr and $36/hr, respectively. Business travelers comprise three-quarters of the total UAM demand because of relatively higher VOTs. Airport access trips in Dallas-Fort Worth region have considerable potential for UAM if the trip's price is below $4 per passenger mile (in addition to the fixed cost of $23).

Social Sustainable Urban Air Mobility in Europe

“…As those are characterised by a certain density of transport infrastructure and saturation with public/private transport services, pUAM will likely represent an additional, potentially more time efficient mobility offer rather than filling accessibility gaps in urban transportation systems. While it would be through the commissioning and operation of vertiports in less connected neighbourhoods and remote suburbs that the establishment of pUAM would increase the transport accessibility rating in the respective areas, low demand counteracts such line of thoughts [45].…”

DTUMOS, digital twin for large-scale urban mobility operating system

“…Especially the development of autonomous vehicles, mobile devices, the internet of things, and citizens' needs for new transportation systems accelerate the emergence of new and inventive mobility systems. In addition to traditional taxi and public transportation systems (e.g., subways and buses), various mobility-on-demand services such as Uber, Grab, and Lift, demand responsive transit, food delivery, and urban air mobility 26 have emerged over the past decade. A digital twin can directly contribute greatly to the development and settlement of these new mobility systems.…”