Advancing Urban Air Mobility: lessons and the Impact of the CITYAM project

The Interreg Baltic Sea Region-funded CITYAM project has released its comprehensive impact evaluation report “Advancing Urban Air Mobility: Lessons from the Use Case Pilots, Usefulness of the GIS Tool, and the Impact of CITYAM based on Societal Embeddedness Assessment” marking a significant milestone in the journey toward responsible Urban Air Mobility (UAM). The report reflects on the work carried out between 2024 and 2025, which included pilots, tools, and a roadmap for cities to transition from abstract exploration to hands-on implementation.

A central finding of the report is the measurable progress made in societal embeddedness across all six partner cities. While full maturity in UAM governance is still evolving across Europe, the project has successfully equipped city administrations with the institutional capacity to discuss drones as part of broader mobility and innovation agendas. The most substantial progress was observed in cities that conducted concrete use-case pilots. These activities served as essential catalysts, helping to clarify regulatory bottlenecks, mobilize local stakeholders, and reveal the actual resource needs for future operations.

Digital tools have also played a crucial role in this transformation. The GIS tool for landing site planning, developed by the National Land Survey of Finland and Aalto University, proved to be an valuable instrument. Cities utilised the tool to visualise geographic constraints and identify feasible locations, fostering transparent dialogue between different city departments. Smaller municipalities, in particular, benefited from this digital support, which bridged gaps in their internal technical capabilities.

The pilots also shed light on the real-world obstacles facing the industry. Interestingly, technical feasibility was rarely the primary challenge; instead, hurdles such as regulatory uncertainty, procurement complexity, and resource constraints were more prominent. Despite these challenges, the pilots built significant political confidence and stakeholder trust. Public acceptance surveys further confirmed that while citizens remain cautious about privacy and safety, they maintain a pragmatic attitude toward drones when the use cases provide clear societal value.

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