We've spent ten years researching "flying taxis" without once stopping to ask if anyone could actually afford to fly in one.
SSRN · March 18, 2026 · 6431111
The Takeaway
A systematic review of 45 major studies on integrating 'Advanced Air Mobility' into hub airports found that while 80% of research focuses on flight engineering, 0% made economic viability a primary focus. This reveals that cities and airports are preparing for a massive technological shift without any peer-reviewed evidence that the business model is sustainable or equitable.
From the abstract
Whether Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) will constitute a significant, successful, and sustainable travel innovation at the metropolitan scale remains an open policy question—one the current research literature is not yet equipped to answer. This study conducts a systematic critical investigation of AAM integration research at Large U.S. Hub airports, applying the Economic Viability, Operational Efficiency, Natural Resource Conservation, and Social Responsibility (EONS) framework as a metropolitan e