May 8, 2024

The skyrocketing field of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) promises to revolutionize transportation in the not-so-far-off future, which could offer efficient and sustainable urban and inter-city travel through drone-based services. However, unlocking this potential hinges on overcoming a critical obstacle: the underutilization of airspace. Estimates suggest a staggering 70-80% of the national airspace remains largely unused, particularly at lower altitudes, presenting a vast untapped resource for AAM operations. This lack of use stems from a complex web of factors: 

• Safety Concerns: Flying is dangerous, and small miscommunications or errors can have dire consequences. Prioritizing the safety of manned aircrafts, (planes and helicopters) often restricts drone access to certain areas, creating vast swaths of “dark space” inaccessible to AAM vehicles like drones.  
• Integration Challenges: Seamlessly integrating AAM into existing air traffic management systems poses technological and logistical problems that    hindering the efficient and safe allocation of airspace for drone operations. Nobody wants to see drones crashing into each other or into planes. To minimize this possibility as much as possible, existing communication systems, the technological methods we use, and even our overall understanding of how to organize sky traffic will need to be upgraded. Think of bike lanes, crosswalks, and traffic lights. Incorporating these innovations allowed cyclists and pedestrians to better utilize streets safely, allowing more people and industries to exploit the travelling convenience of streets. 
• Regulatory slowdown: FAA Regulations often limit drone operations in specific areas or times, to ensure overall safety. Once a sufficiently drone-safe air traffic infrastructure has been proven reliable, these restrictions can be loosened and AAM innovators will be allowed to push our drone capabilities to the limit.  

One possible solution to upgrading our skies involves Blockchain technology. Blockchains are basically extra secure “smart” ledger networks that can be accessed remotely by any authorized party. Think social media crossed with an excel sheet that can be tailored to support any situation, all protected by a virtually impregnable cybersecurity system. By leveraging its unique capabilities, blockchain can transform airspace management in several ways: 

• Enhanced Trust and Transparency: The immutability of blockchain ensures all activity is permanently recorded and verifiable, fostering trust between AAM operators, air traffic controllers, and the public. When one person interacts with the information on the blockchain, not only can everyone see what they have done and when, but every change is validated by consensus before it is accepted. This transparency promotes accountability and facilitates safer operational environments within the corridors.  
• Real-time Situational Awareness: Blockchain’s distributed ledger technology (DLT) offers a trustworthy, unified source of information for critical data such as drone location, altitude, velocity, and flight paths so that everyone has all the information they need exactly when they need it. This real-time information empowers air traffic controllers to make informed decisions, allows quick reaction time to flight path changes based on demand and weather conditions, and optimize traffic flow. Blockchain would essentially upgrade the resiliency and efficiency of individual flyers and overall airspace management infrastructure, ultimately preparing the skies for a more robust AAM activity.    
• Automated Conflict Resolution: While a blockchain powered airspace management system has the potential to drastically improve current traffic control methods, protection from danger is never a guarantee. When unforeseeable circumstances arise, smart contracts, (self-executing agreements embedded within the blockchain,) could be used to automatically adjust drone flight paths in real-time to avoid collisions. This gives us a better alternative to risky manual interventions, reduces human error, and would greatly contribute to the overall safety of airspace corridors. 
• Dynamic Airspace Management: By proving its contribution to building safer skies, through exploiting easily accessible real-time data on traffic conditions and weather patterns, blockchain would give regulators the confidence to allow more air traffic. There is a vast amount of purposely unused airspace called “dark space” that could be opened to AAM operations during low periods of air traffic. This would significantly expand operational areas and accommodate what will soon become the growing demand for air taxi services. 

This isn’t science fiction. Blockchain has already been utilized by the international shipping industry to achieve these same advancements. Just as blockchain streamlined shipping container tracking, enhanced transparency in customs procedures, and optimized shipping routes, it can revolutionize AAM by managing data flow, automating processes, and creating a secure and decentralized system for airspace management. 

Interested in learning more? Reach out on how you can get involved with AAM Blockchain!