South Korea: MintAir Opens New Highway in the Sky for AAM Flight Service
MintAir, a South Korean Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) service provider, is collaborating with Wemap and the City of Seongnam, to trial a core enabling technology, a 4D map, for AAM flight route development and operations, reports a press release.
Deploying a commercial drone, the demonstration flight was performed at the Housing Expo site in Seongnam two weeks ago. This 4D map was constructed via using real images of urban buildings and airspace.
The release states, “The map provides a precise flying corridor for UAV and AAM routes, enables emergency route change, and prevents collusion with obstacles such as high-rise buildings. Furthermore, the map provides real-time updates of airspace information which is critical for the safe operation of remote piloted or autonomous flights.”

Eugene Choi
Eugene Choi, MintAir CEO and Founder, commented, “Our mission is to develop the safest advanced air mobility service in both urban and regional routes and the demonstration of the 4D AAM map solution is an important step forward to achieving this mission.”
He continued, “We have successfully demonstrated a critical enabling technology for the safe operation of AAM service in urban routes.”
The collaboration is in readiness for the K‑UAM Grand Challenge program organised by the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. In May, MintAir formed a consortium with Lotte Group and its subsidiaries (Lotte Rental, Lotte Engineering & Construction and Lotte Data Communication). A proposal was then submitted to participate in the Grand Challenge program.
The 4D map is to support passenger and cargo transportation via the proposed AAM hub in Seongnam, a satellite city in metropolitan Seoul. This hub has the ability to provide urban and regional air services directly from a major metropolitan population centre to anywhere in Korea, including even the more remote destinations such as the Jejudo and Ulleungdo islands.

The trial comes soon after MintAir’s recent announcement concerning the signing of a LoI (Letter of Intent), to add Electra.aero’s nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft to its fleet, to provide regional air service in the South Korean market. MintAir is also forming strategic partnerships with Jaunt Air Mobility and Skyworks Aeronautics.
MintAir selects its fleet of electric aircraft based on four criteria: Superior safety under power loss situations through gliding or autorotation; energy-saving lift efficiency; lower operating cost; and a clear path to certification via existing regulations. The company plans to launch an urban air service using electric rotorcraft and a regional air service utilising eSTOL aircraft.
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