Incheon City Successfully Completes Public UAM Demonstration on Yeongjongdo-Deokjeokdo Route

Incheon City said on Wednesday that it had successfully completed a demonstration of urban air mobility (UAM) on the route connecting Yeongjongdo and Deokjeokdo.

The demonstration, conducted on Tuesday using a UAM helicopter, involved the K-UAM One Team, comprising the Aerospace Industry-Academia Convergence Institute, KT, Korean Air, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Motor Company, and Incheon International Airport Corporation.

The demonstration focused on confirming the feasibility of operating public UAM services and laying the groundwork for their future introduction, taking into account public needs specific to island regions, such as access to medical facilities on the mainland, access to everyday services, and emergency transportation.

To this end, the participating organizations designed the route before the demonstration, taking into account the airspace around the airport, existing air traffic flows, the characteristics of flights over the sea, and conditions for takeoff and landing.

They also connected Incheon City's UAM platform with a UAM traffic management system developed as part of a national research and development project to check functions required for UAM services, including flight operations management, traffic management, vertiport operations, and communications and information sharing. During the flight, they assessed the feasibility of on-site implementation while monitoring real-time locations and surrounding traffic conditions.

UAM demonstration. Provided by Incheon City.

The city said the demonstration was significant as the first case in South Korea in which the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local governments, and private companies worked together on everything from identifying public demand for UAM in island regions and designing routes to conducting actual flights.

Based on the operating conditions and areas for improvement identified on site, Incheon City plans to refine its route operation plans, takeoff and landing infrastructure, communications and traffic management systems, and safety management measures. It will also pursue follow-up demonstrations and plans for the phased introduction of services in coordination with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's efforts to designate pilot operation zones for urban air mobility.

An Incheon City official said, "This demonstration confirmed the potential to link UAM technology with actual transportation needs in island regions and expand it into a public service. We will work closely with relevant organizations to improve transportation access and convenience for island residents and strengthen Incheon's competitiveness in the UAM industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.