Page 181 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2022

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AVIATION

enterprises reduced their employee numbers accordingly, with and is enabled by Air One’s uniquely compact footprint and
younger workers particularly affected. patented technologies.
In the first quarter of 2022, 325,600 people were employed The cost and feasibility of implementing such a system will be
in the air transport sector in the EU - the lowest number highly dependent on the land take of the vertiport. Therefore,
recorded in 14 years, according to Eurostat. Notably, the a new eVTOL network introduced into a congested city must
decrease can be attributed to workers between the ages prioritise space efficiency. UAP’s Air One model (one of UAP’s
of 15 and 39 (from 204,400 in Q1 2008 to 121,400 in Q1 suite of infrastructure solutions) is modular by design, scalable,
2022, i.e., -83,000). Meanwhile, there was an increase - ultra-compact, and affords a low CAPEX and OPEX infrastruc-
although milder - in workers between 40 and 64 years old ture that can be tailored to serve larger eVTOLs such as Skybus
(from 170,500 to 204,200, i.e., +33,700). whilst continuing to be vehicle agnostic. This enhanced Air One
The pattern is similar when comparing the pre-pandemic first model includes multiple hangars, multi-level take-off and land-
quarter of 2019 with the first quarter of 2022. While there ing zones and flexible stands uniquely incorporating a Multiple
was a significant decrease in workers aged between 15 and Apron Ramp System (MARS) for eVTOLs. These are just some
39 (from 184,900 to 121,400, i.e., -63,500), there was a far of Air One’s new design features that will enable Skybus and
smaller decrease in workers between the ages of 40 and 64 other eVTOLs to co-exist and successfully operate in a dense
(from 225,500 to 204,200, i.e., -21,300). urban environment. UAP’s technology and modular systems
When comparing employment by sex, males made up 58% of were envisioned for an evolving regulatory environment. The new
the workforce in the first quarter of 2022. This same balance design responds to and informs recent EASA guidelines whilst
was also recorded in the first quarter of 2008. The share of delivering and building on the core DNA of UAP.
men in air transport was relatively stable over time.
However, while total employment in air transport in the EU
decreased for both males and females during the pandemic,
men were the first impacted in the second quarter of 2020,
leading to a share of men equal to 53% in the second quar-
ter of 2020. Then, in the third and fourth quarters of 2020,
women were the most affected by the pandemic. Over the
whole period between the first quarter of 2019 and the
first quarter of 2022, males made up 60% of the decrease
(-33,800 for females compared with -50,900 for males).

A TAILORED AIR ONE VERTIPORT CONCEPT FOR
MASS TRANSIT EVTOLS
Urban-Air Port (UAP), the vertiport developer behind the Air One
vertiport in Coventry, and GKN Aerospace are collaborating
to explore smart infrastructure for Urban Air Mobility (UAM),
specifically for large, high-capacity eVTOL passenger shuttle
operations.
GKN Aerospace has recently completed the initial feasibility
studies for the Skybus research project. The research project
has explored the potential for a six-rotor, 30-person eVTOL Celebrating 40 Years of Services
concept to help decarbonise and decongest urban landscapes.
The studies have identified significant opportunities for air
‘buses’ to operate alongside air taxis in future air mobility Leading travel agency in Greece for 2020 - 2021
(based on sales of air tickets)
transport, primarily for intracity and airport shuttle services, Specialized in the marine Industry
with the potential to unlock access to more remote areas, such
as islands and mountainous regions. Integration into urban Your destination, Our promise!
environments with intermodal transport connectivity is key to
the success of Skybus’s larger-scale passenger transportation

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