Hamburg putting EUR 2 million towards urban air transport

Scientists at Helmut Schmidt University (HSU), Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg), HafenCity University Hamburg (HCU), the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Helmholtz Centre Geesthacht (HZG) are researching and evaluating solutions for innovative, airborne, urban mobility under the direction of the Institute of Air Transport Systems at Hamburg University of Technology (TU Hamburg). 

"The ILUM project can make a valuable contribution to expanding Hamburg's pioneering role in the search for intelligent, future-orientated mobility solutions. The researchers are developing new concepts and technologies for airborne urban transport on an interdisciplinary basis and are testing them for social acceptance, legal aspects of feasibility and transport and urban planning issues," said Katharina Fegebank, Senator for Science, Research and Equality. This holistic approach may yet see the project become a blueprint for other regions.

As part of the joint ILUM project, an interdisciplinary team of researchers is investigating an overall concept for airborne mobility solutions that are socially and urbanely compatible, passenger-friendly, ecological and economical. The aim is to develop early the prerequisites and marginal conditions of sustainable concepts for sensible and new forms of aircraft deployment, which will also reduce emissions and improve connections. 

The research is based on forward-looking scenarios tailored to the Hamburg Metropolitan Region in 2050. Apart from new means of transport e.g. air taxis, the focus is on operational concepts, existing mobility structures, infrastructure and various business models. The partners in the alliance are striving to create a German Research Foundation (DFG) research training group.

The countdown to the 2021 ITS World Congress for Intelligent Transport, which Hamburg is hosting from October 11 to 15, is now on. The congress is the world's largest meeting of intelligent transport systems and services and will attract movers and shakers across the industry to the refurbished CCH exhibition halls and select public venues. Several Hamburg-based scientific institutions will also be on hand to present innovations, new ideas and projects on forward-looking transport.

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