Heron AirBridge and SITA to advance Singapore urban air mobility
Unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) provider Heron AirBridge has entered into a proof of concept agreement with SITA to collaborate on urban air mobility (UAM) vertiport solutions for Singaporean airspace, by integrating Heron AirBridge’s UTM system with SITA’s vertiport solutions.
This agreement is part of an ongoing effort to develop an end-to-end framework of workflows and processes for safe and efficient operation of advanced air mobility (AAM) vehicles within urban environments.
The initiative connects Heron AirBridge’s UTM system to SITA’s new Vertiport Management System and builds a first minimum viable product that will enable dynamic real-time data exchanges between the vertiport system, the eVTOL operators and the UTM from the flight scheduling phase to the time of the actual flight operation.
Ryan Lee, CEO and cofounder of Heron AirBridge, said: “SITA is a world leader of air transport communication and information technology. We are excited and proud to be selected as their go-to partner for this opportunity.
“This partnership symbolises the close cooperation needed between companies from different regions to develop best-in-class services that will benefit the emerging advanced air mobility industry globally.”
SITA is already collaborating with several UAM and vertiport operators. The new alliance will fully complement existing partnerships to create a scalable and robust model that connects eVTOLs, vertiports and UTM systems as one integrated eco-system.
SITA Asia Pacific president Sumesh Patel added: “As a collaborative innovator in the air transport industry, we are uniquely positioned to support Heron AirBridge in taking the next steps to deliver operational excellence with the latest technology. We are well positioned to deploy integrated land and air solutions to build a vertiport.”
The SITA collaboration comes on the heels of Heron AirBridge’s accreditation by renowned audit and certification institution TÜV SÜD. The UTM technology specialist has recently received ISO 27001 certification for its cybersecurity services and drone mission and traffic management solutions, achieving the world’s most notable standard for information security management.
The accreditation ensures that the Heron AirBridge platform meets rigorous security requirements, and that effective policies and controls are in place to minimise the risks of cyber-attacks.
In July, Heron AirBridge was appointed as Regional Ambassador Southeast Asia for the Global UTM Association (GUTMA).
