CoFFEE

The UK has strategic interests in exploiting the latest developments in new classes of electric, hydrogen and autonomous air vehicles. Several promising options are available – drones (for powerline inspection, cargo delivery and last-mile delivery of medicines), sub-regional air taxi passenger transport, rural air taxi passenger transport, and urban air taxi passenger transport.

These future flight (FF) technologies have shown cost efficiency, environmental benefits, safe working conditions and benefit to users (e.g., reduction of journey times) and hold good promise to become mainstream transport options. In addition to helping the UK achieve its net-zero targets, these technologies can operate from smaller airports, thus assisting users to complete their journeys more pleasantly. They can reach remote places inaccessible by road more efficiently, thus helping deliver medical supplies with good cost-effectiveness. At the same time, there are potentially unknown issues with these technologies. For example, they could cause accidents and pose security threats once they are deployed in sufficiently large numbers. They may require different flying skills from operators and new operating procedures.

There may still be technical issues, e.g., battery and data transmission. Newer systems need to be developed for both forward and reverse supply chains. They could be more sensitive to the weather. Smaller airports would mean more airports, and people may have no interest in having an airport on their doorstep.

Different stakeholders, such as flight operators, users, airport managers and those responsible for the supply chains, may be affected in different ways emotionally. Most important of all, these vehicles could be misused by hackers and anti-social elements. Thus, translating the developments in future flight technologies into commercial business activities requires careful consideration of all aspects of future flight by reaching out to opinions from all various stakeholders (e.g., local communities, policymakers, aerospace industry technologists, businesses, social entrepreneurs, and NGOs).

The CoFFEE Project is designed to co-create appropriate business models to ensure that the energy, environmental, economic and emotional implications of these developments are appropriately streamlined for overall societal benefit with support from all these stakeholders. The project started on 03 April and will run for 14 months. In the first work package led by the University of Essex, we will study the characteristics of multiple FF technologies, their roles in the emerging innovation ecosystems, and explore opportunities and barriers to shape sustainable circular economy FF business models by interviewing relevant stakeholders.

Please look for this space for reports on exciting developments as the project progresses.