Urban air mobility may still sound futuristic, but at Aerial Cities 2024, it was clear that the future is arriving — cautiously, and not without turbulence.  

In one of the conference’s most grounded sessions, a cross-sector panel of regulators, operators, OEMs and airspace managers dove deep regarding where the electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) and advanced air mobility (AAM) industries really stand. Are flying taxis about to transform our cities — or are we still years away from scalable operations? 

This wasn’t a panel of idealistic promises. Instead, what emerged was a surprisingly pragmatic picture: Regulation is catching up, but international harmonisation is lagging; infrastructure may be the true bottleneck, not airframe technology; and successful deployment might hinge less on autonomy and more on everyday usability — from battery maintenance to vertiport zoning. 

Moderated by Darryl Abelscroft (Future of Flight, UK Civil Aviation Authority), this panel featured expert insights from David Stepanek, FRAeS (Executive Vice President & Chief Transformation Officer, Bristow Group), Mark Watson (Head of UTM Service Integration, NATS), Manuel Heredia Ortiz (CEO, CRISALION), Diana Marina Cooper (Chief Partnerships & Policy Officer, Supernal), and Daniel García-Monteavaro (Head of Drone Business Development Department, ENAIRE).  

From the bold divergence in UK and Spanish airspace strategies to the overlooked complexity of urban MRO networks, this session offered a real-world lens on how — and when — eVTOLs might lift off at scale.  

Designing for passengers, not prototypes 

One of the panel’s strongest messages was that engineering excellence alone is not enough — the future of AAM depends on trust, comfort, and usability for everyday people. 

CRISALION’s CEO, Manuel Heredia, stressed that many eVTOL designs still feel like prototypes aimed at enthusiasts, not the general public.  

“We need to propose a product that my mother wants to fly in,” he explained, referencing his company’s unique “fly free” propulsion design that reduces turbulence and vibrations. 

It's not just about flight quality, however — safety perception, accessibility, and mission flexibility are key.  

Supernal’s Diana Cooper echoed this, sharing how they’ve prioritised comfort and familiarity in their aircraft design.  

“We’re not just building an aircraft — we’re building a customer experience,” she noted. 

Meanwhile, Bristow’s David Stepanek added the operator perspective: Flying in challenging real-world conditions requires more than just a sleek design.  

“The challenges of taking a nascent technology and putting it into service are massive,” he said, drawing on his four decades of rotorcraft operations.  

He explained that even minor elements like vibrations, battery weight, and door placement can make or break user confidence. 

Ultimately, for eVTOLs to succeed, they must be designed not for hype or aesthetics — but for real passengers, real cities, and real missions. 

Global regulation: Steady progress, but alignment is everything 

Another key thread throughout the session was the rapid progress of regulatory frameworks — and the equally urgent need for harmonisation across borders. 

Diana shared that when the company began, “there were no regulations in place” in the U.S. Since then, major milestones like the FAA’s SBAR rules have laid the groundwork for pilot licensing and operational standards. This clarity, she explained, has helped de-risk the sector and attract serious investment. 

CRISALION, as a second-mover OEM, has benefitted from this clarity.  

“The rules of the game are a lot more clear today than they were a few years ago,” Manuel noted.  

By targeting a 2030 launch, they’re strategically positioning themselves to follow, not fight, the rulebook. 

Still, however, aligning those rules globally remains a major hurdle.  

David pointed out the operational cost of regional variation: “We operate the same helicopter in the UK and the U.S. — but with completely different lighting, signage, and safety features.” 

Even more concerning is the divergence between Western and Chinese approaches.  

“China certified an aircraft last year for autonomous operation,” Manuel said. “They’re on a different path — and that has global implications.” 

The takeaway: Regulatory progress is encouraging, but without international coordination, the risk of market fragmentation and certification duplication remains very real. 

Realism from operators: Start small, scale slowly 

Operators are often the first to spot the cracks between ambition and execution — and David brought that grounded lens. With 230 aircraft operating in 19 countries, he’s seen aviation innovation cycles up close. 

“I know the challenges of taking existing technology and putting it into service — let alone a nascent technology,” he said.  

 
Bristow’s strategy? Start in constrained environments with cargo operations, using battery-electric aircraft, before expanding to more complex use cases. 

Supernal is following a similar trajectory, with Diana noting they’ve completed a full-scale demonstrator and are now beginning rigorous test flights. She also emphasised the importance of feeding those results back to regulators to shape more usable rulebooks — not just for Supernal, but for the whole industry. Manuel agreed that taking the long view is essential: “You need to work actively and now, otherwise we will have to wait too long.” 

All three stressed that AAM won’t begin with fleets of flying taxis buzzing over cities — it will start quietly, in highly controlled testbeds, building credibility with every flight. Gradualism, not grandiosity, may be the true path to scale. 

Airspace modernisation: Moving from segregation to integration 

With aircraft development accelerating, the next challenge is where — and how — they’ll fly. As Daniel García-Monteavaro and Mark Watson explained, airspace integration is no longer a future problem — it’s a present priority. 

In Spain, Daniel outlined how ENAIRE is experimenting with U-space corridors in places like Benidorm.  

These early deployments show promise but also highlight tensions between manned and unmanned aircraft: “In this first initial space regulation (…) manned eVTOLs cannot be in the same area space as drones due to control separation management,” he explained. 

Mark explained that the UK is taking a different approach: “We are going towards integrated airspace — integration of crewed and uncrewed aircraft in the same airspace at the same time.”  

He acknowledged the challenges but shared that NATS is building Open Air, a baseline digital platform designed to provide shared traffic data and support real-time coordination. 

Both ENAIRE and NATS stress that success depends on interoperability and collaboration; not just among aviation stakeholders, but also (and especially) with cities, police, and emergency services as well. 

It’s clear that airspace will need to evolve in parallel with aircraft — and in many cases, faster. 

Infrastructure and investment: Don’t forget what’s on the ground 

As the conversation turned toward infrastructure, panellists agreed this may be the slowest — and costliest — piece of the puzzle. 

Diana pointed to the lack of zoning standards for vertiports around the world. 

“Infrastructure has a really long lead time (...) those discussions have to start now,” she warned.  

Without planning reform, even ready aircraft may have nowhere to land. 

Manuel expanded the discussion to maintenance and support: “We need to change the concept of the MRO network. This aircraft will not fly to Germany to be maintained.”  

He compared it to electric vehicles, where decentralised, brand-agnostic service centres were key to consumer adoption. 

David added that even the best-designed aircraft are nothing without practical infrastructure.  

“You're talking 20, 25 million dollars to build a vertiport,” he said. “Let’s operate within the infrastructure that’s already been developed so we can establish an investment thesis.” 

The message was clear: Scaling AAM isn’t just a technical or regulatory challenge — it’s a coordination game that spans zoning boards, utility providers, insurers, and more. Without alignment, the best aircraft may never leave the ground. 

The 2035 vision: Coexistence, not disruption 

To close the session, the panel looked ahead to what a mature AAM ecosystem might look like by the mid-2030s and beyond. 

David imagined a future where eVTOLs are a “normal part of everyone’s daily life,” whether delivering people or parcels; but he emphasised the need to prove the investment case first — not through glossy renderings, but reliable, profitable operations. 

Diana echoed the importance of ecosystem-building: “We need a lot of collaboration among competitors, governments, and across the globe.”  

Only by sharing data, infrastructure, and lessons learned can the sector reach scale without repeating mistakes. 

Mark and Daniel both stressed that the future of aviation will be plural — with traditional general aviation, commercial aircraft, and drones coexisting. The goal isn’t to replace today’s systems, but to build layered, integrated skies where each aircraft type plays to its strengths. 

Rather than a wholesale reinvention, the path to success may lie in thoughtful coexistence — with strong governance and real-world pragmatism at its core. 

Are you a decision-maker? 

Are you interested in being at the forefront of drone technology? Sponsor our exclusive, invite-only event Aerial Cities, where industry leaders, government officials, and key players discuss the integration of drones into urban landscapes.