We’re back at Amsterdam Drone Week Opening for the first time since 2019 – and the show is better than ever, with a full in-person audience and showroom in addition to the online presence.

Amsterdam Drone Week has been one of the primary urban air mobility conferences, hosted along with the EASA top level regulation forum.  This year, the theme is “Adding Value to Society with Urban Air Mobility” and companies from all over the world are ready to showcase the new technology they’ve been developing over the last two years.  The theme of the EASA conference is also clear – it’s time to make urban air mobility (UAM) a reality.  For many cities in Europe, there is no where to go but up: and UAM offers a valuable technology for solving environmental and traffic problems.

Today, at the Amsterdam Drone Week Opening, speakers were heartfelt in welcoming in-person events back after two years of Zoom meetings – and looking forward to 3 days of productive meetings.  As major names from the European transportation and drone industry presented their remarks, it is clear that regulators view UAM as an inevitable step in the transportation ecosystem.

In common with regulators around the world, European regulators are working to keep pace with technology developments in the drone industry – maximizing the opportunity while minimizing the risk of drone proliferation in the airspace.  Europe hopes that their regulatory framework will provide a global model for drone rules.

Adina Valean is the European Commissioner of Transport.  “Drones are increasingly a part of the present, and I have no doubt that they will play a major role in the future,” she says.  “They can be an enabler for a more sustainable life.”

“By 2025 our skies will be at least 10x busy…operating everywhere.  The high demand for airspace access will be a challenge.  We need to protect people on the ground and from the environmental impacts of drones.”  Drone integration “requires a step-change in airspace regulation,” she says. “Our drone strategy 2.0 will take us to the next level of our vision.”

Diana Cooper is the Global Head of Policy and Regulations at Supernal, a part of Hyundai Motor Group, which will introduce its first Vertiport in the UK this year.  Supernal is developing both aircraft and infrastructure: hoping to integrate unmanned air mobility systems into public transportation networks.  Cooper spoke about why Hyundai is investing in UAM now.   Supernal doesn’t see UAM as a replacement for any current mode of transportation: rather,  says Cooper, UAM will “fill gaps and give consumers sustainable choices for the future.”

Cooper brings up a critical aspect of UAM: the potential to create an inclusive form of transportation that accommodates people of all physical abilities and wealth levels.  In addition to designing for people with physical disabilities, Cooper says that the company envisions UAM as similar to the subway system in New York City: where wealthy hedge fund managers ride alongside less advantaged populations “simply because it’s the fastest and most efficient way to get around,” she says.

Jaco Stremler is from Amsterdam’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, hosts of Amsterdam Drone Week. “A century ago, the emphasis was on getting airborne, and staying there… now the emphasis is on specialized use cases,” he says. “Drones now play an essential role in our modern world,” said Stremler.

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