Indonesia Seen as Having Major Opportunities to Develop "Urban Air Mobility"

Founder and CEO of Whitesky Group, Denon Prawiraatmadja, emphasised the importance of developing Urban Air Mobility (UAM) as part of the transformation of the national transportation system into one that is more modern, integrated, and technology-based. This was stated during a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on the development of future transportation with President of Intelligent Transport System Indonesia (ITS Indonesia), William Sabandar. Urban air mobility or UAM refers to the use of highly automated small aircraft for transporting passengers or cargo at low altitudes within urban and suburban areas. In general, the term urban air mobility refers to existing and emerging technologies such as traditional helicopters, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Denon assessed that the government’s steps in promoting infrastructure transformation, digitalisation, and national connectivity open up major opportunities for Indonesia to accelerate the implementation of Urban Air Mobility. According to him, the development of UAM can be part of the solution for future mobility, particularly in addressing urban density challenges, inter-regional connectivity, and transportation efficiency. Denon also emphasised that ITS Indonesia plays an important role in strengthening the integration of the national transportation system through an Intelligent Transport System approach that aligns with the UAM concept developed by Whitesky Group. According to him, collaboration between regulators, industry, and organisations like ITS Indonesia is a key factor in accelerating Indonesia’s readiness to face the era of technology-based transportation. “ITS Indonesia has a strategic position in building the future transportation ecosystem. What is being developed by ITS Indonesia aligns with the Urban Air Mobility vision that we are promoting at Whitesky Group,” Denon stated. He assessed that Indonesia’s strengths lie not only in its large market but also in its ability to build inter-sectoral integration in transportation technology development. In the forum, Denon also emphasised that ITS Indonesia and Whitesky Group can be key enablers in supporting the development of a more adaptive and sustainable future transportation industry.