Advanced air mobility for all: how can we ensure the accessibility of future flight?

AtkinsRéalis Head of Advanced Air Mobility, James Richmond, outlines how, as an evolving mode of transport, advanced air mobility aircraft and ecosystems have the chance to enable more mobility for more people.

“Long journeys, for a disabled person, are like planning a military mission.” This sentence summarises the challenges faced by some disabled people when travelling, and represents an opportunity for the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry to develop a more accessible form of transport. The comment was made by one of the participants of a focus group¹ to understand the implications of travel via electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft from the perspective of disabled people. By including disabled people in the design of eVTOLs and vertiports, developers will not only drive social value and contribute to better equality and inclusion, but will enable a more positive passenger experience for people who choose to use future flight aircraft.

Our individual discussions and workshop canvassed the travel experiences of people with a range of lived experiences, including physical impairment, visual impairment, mental health conditions, and mixed disabilities. The focus group presented participants with a scenario that asked them to consider a trip to an out-of-town shopping centre via an eVTOL flight – from pre-travel booking and travel to the vertiport; to getting on the eVTOL and the in-flight experience; to disembarking and leaving at their destination.

Building confidence and understanding

A key theme that emerged from our discussions was the challenge those with disabilities faced in finding information on the assistance available to them before, during and throughout their journey. Our participants said that providing the right level of pre-flight information at the right time helps to relieve their anxiety – so clear information from providers, in a range of accessible formats, will empower their journey planning and reduce concerns. But consideration must also be given to the way this information is structured, and how software such as booking applications respond to search criteria. Feedback from a participant with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), for example, highlighted that if a booking site had too many options, they would struggle to choose one. Providers must also consider alternative provisions for those who find it difficult to access digital technologies.

As a new mode of transport, everything will initially be unfamiliar to all travellers. People know what to expect from existing transport systems, and this informs their journey planning. For those with disabilities, previous experience of trying to use other, less accessible, modes of transport may negatively influence their perceptions of eVTOL and vertiports’ potential. Operators of both aircraft and infrastructure have the opportunity to stand out, by being truly inclusive for all, and by enabling passengers – particularly disabled passengers – to travel with confidence, helping everyone feel at ease. Many passenger journey scenarios are based on walk-throughs by non-disabled people: by mapping out the user journey for people with different lived experiences, such as visual impairment or neurodiverse conditions, we are developing a better understanding of how these conditions can impact upon their experience. This can help inform better design choices; for example, about the placement of accessible parking, gate sizes, or assistance within the vertiport building. In this way, designers, developers and operators can be more inclusive from the outset.

But it’s not just infrastructure, aircraft and systems must be made as accessible as possible; the human element supporting passengers is equally important. All staff must receive up-to-date and rolling training, to enable staff to have awareness of the challenges disabled people deal with every day. Such training should include defining what is means to be a “disabled person,” as understood through the social model: that it is attitudes, barriers and lack of provision that disable people. It should also consider the importance of autonomy and choice for disabled people. This should help to address the ‘dehumanising’ experiences some of our respondents experienced during travel – for example, being referred to as ‘the wheelchair’ rather than as a person. Training can build understanding and empathy, critical to enabling a potentially more positive passenger experience for everyone.

No one-size-fits-all solution

While our research has mapped out the user journey for disabled people, and captured some of the barriers and hindrances they could foresee experiencing, it’s important to recognise that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution to meet all access requirements. For example, one participant, who uses a wheelchair, found a well-known, high-traffic transport hub to be easy to access from end-to-end because it had plenty of space and lifts. However, another person, who walked with crutches, felt the same hub was “an absolute nightmare” because the distance between entrances and exits and boarding points was long, and meant they had to add extra time onto their journey to take rests.

There are many nuances that can negatively or positive impact a user journey. These include mobility, sensory, neurodiversity and toiletry considerations. For example, assessing what pre- or in-flight support is required, and whether wheelchair users would need to remain in their chair or transfer to a seat within the eVTOL. Additional research is needed to find out more about people’s lived experiences to inform design decisions.

Driving positive change

Enabling eVTOLs and vertiports to be more inclusive from the outset could also lead the drive for positive change across all forms of transport. It's very rare that a new transport mode emerges, and AAM possesses the opportunity to set a gold standard for other forms of transport – to lead the way on accessibility. In a competitive market, if one transport mode is setting the bar high, others will need to ‘up their game’ or risk losing customers.

Understanding the bigger picture will enable designers and developers to make better informed decisions around the accessibility elements of the entire user journey. By thinking from an inclusivity-first perspective, they will avoid having to implement clunky and expensive bolt-on solutions later, which may not fully meet users’ needs. AAM has the chance to really make a difference – to become an enabling and more accessible form of transport, empowering equality and potentially offering a positive travel experience to all.

What’s next?

The focus group was led by disability policy and research expert Gemma Cook and the Connected Places Catapult (CPC), supported by AtkinsRéalis.

It is an output of the Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium, which is developing the necessary technology and infrastructure to significantly accelerate the introduction of AAM in the UK.

The consortium plans to continue its research with disabled participants, carrying out an accessibility audit of the service proposals to prime the market to deliver and integrate more inclusive future flight transport.

1 Connected Places Catapult plans to publish the findings of its research in late 2024. 

About the author

James Richmond is the Head of Advanced Air Mobility at professional services and project management firm AtkinsRéalis, which leads the Air Mobility Ecosystem Consortium. James is part of a dedicated team whose mission is to help decarbonise aviation and enable new modes of transportation to realise the future of flight. His roles have spanned aerospace engineering, project management and client management.