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Demand analysis in urban air mobility: A literature review

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  • Long, Qi
  • Ma, Jun
  • Jiang, Feifeng
  • Webster, Christopher John

Abstract

Urban air mobility (UAM) is a novel concept that is revolutionizing urban transportation. This transformation is largely due to the development of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, which have made UAM a reality in the urban region. The success of this emerging mode of transportation is largely dependent on market demand. However, there is a lack of systematic reviews on demand analysis for UAM. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive review of the recently published literature on demand analysis for UAM. We firstly identified the demand for UAM in various types of on-demand applications, including passenger services, cargo services, and other services. Secondly, we discussed and identified the factors that influence the market demand in UAM, such as time, cost, distance, congestion, safety, privacy, and noise. Additionally, we examined the existing qualitative and quantitative methods for demand analysis in UAM. We found that the most common techniques include stated-preference surveys, discrete choice models, and clustering algorithms. We further discussed the role of market demand in the UAM life cycle, highlighting the potential impacts of demand on the development, implementation, and regulation of UAM systems. Finally, we concluded our review by highlighting several opportunities for future research related to demand analysis for UAM, and these include feasibility of air shuttle services, potential cargo applications, public acceptance, infrastructure placement, integration with existing transportation, and novel demand estimation methods, while addressing various aspects of UAM life cycle, including vehicle technology, infrastructure, airspace, and operation management.

Suggested Citation

  • Long, Qi & Ma, Jun & Jiang, Feifeng & Webster, Christopher John, 2023. "Demand analysis in urban air mobility: A literature review," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jaitra:v:112:y:2023:i:c:s0969699723000790
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jairtraman.2023.102436
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Samadzad, Mahdi & Ansari, Fatemeh & Afshari Moez, Mohammad Amin, 2024. "Who will board urban air taxis? An analysis of advanced air mobility demand and value of travel time for business, airport access, and regional tourism trips in Iran," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    5. Jiang, Yu & Li, Zhichao & Wang, Yasha & Xue, Qingwen, 2025. "Vertiport location for eVTOL considering multidimensional demand of urban air mobility: An application in Beijing," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    6. Zhao, Ying & Feng, Tao, 2025. "Commuter choice of UAM-friendly neighborhoods," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    7. Kashav, Vishal & Garg, Chandra Prakash, 2025. "From innovation to adoption: A framework-based evaluation of sustainable adoption strategies for eVTOL vehicles in shared passenger and freight transportation system," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    8. Raj Bridgelall & Denver Tolliver, 2024. "Transforming Healthcare Delivery with Advanced Air Mobility: A Rural Study with GIS-Based Optimization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-22, July.
    9. Coppola, Pierluigi & De Fabiis, Francesco & Silvestri, Fulvio, 2024. "Urban Air Mobility (UAM): Airport shuttles or city-taxis?," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 24-34.
    10. Raj Bridgelall, 2024. "Spatial Analysis of Middle-Mile Transport for Advanced Air Mobility: A Case Study of Rural North Dakota," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-25, October.

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