A new forecast for passenger drones and the eVTOL aircraft market predicts dramatic growth over the next 10 years.

According to the new market research report from MarketsandMarkets on the “eVTOL Aircraft Market … Global Forecast to 2030”, the eVTOL aircraft market is projected to grow from USD 162 million in 2025 to USD 411 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 20.42% from 2025 to 2030.

While accurate forecasts of emerging industries are challenging, they can be a good indicator of where a sector is heading.  In this case, researchers predict that the passenger drone market will be making money and selling units in the next few years – and that’s significant.

“The growing demand for an alternative mode of transportation in urban cities due to increasing road traffic congestion globally is a major factor driving market growth,” says Markets and Markets.  Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is certianly a significant discussion worldwide – but additionally, passenger drones or “optionally piloted” vehicles have a multitude of commercial uses.

“By mode of operation, the optionally piloted segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period,” says MarketsandMarkets.

“The growing demand for autonomous eVTOLs for commercial application is expected to drive this segment. Autonomous aerial vehicles can be used in several areas of operations. These vehicles are programmable autonomous robots that can carry out tasks at high altitudes with increased power capacity.”

The forecast for passenger drones is impressive, but companies like EHang have demonstrated cargo, search and rescue and firefighting capabilities for their optionally piloted vehicles in addition to passenger applications that include aerial sightseeing.  And while the Asia Pacific region has led the way for eVTOLs, the report says that Europe is quickly developing into a major market.

“Europe is one of the growing markets for eVTOL aircraft as countries in this region, such as Germany, France, Estonia, and Bulgaria are actively focused on developing the eVTOL aircraft ecosystem to facilitate cost-effective transportation. Another reason attributed to the growth of this regional market is the increasing number of manufacturing bases for commercial eVTOLs in Europe,” says the report.