SKT Consortium to Launch Tourism and Public UAM Service Routes in 2025

Yoon Hyung-jung, President of Korea Airports Corporation (from the left), Uh Seong-cheol, CEO of Hanwha Systems, Yoo Young-sang, CEO of SKT, Yoo Jung-bok, Vice President of Korea Transport Institute, and Ahn Young-in, President of Korea Meteorological Industry Technology Institute, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement for the successful execution of the government demonstration project and the launch of the public tourism service route in 2025.

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[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] SK Telecom announced plans to launch tourism and public-use UAM service routes in 2025 in collaboration with the Korean Urban Air Mobility (UAM) Dream Team.

SK Telecom, Korea Airports Corporation, Hanwha Systems, Korea Transport Institute, and Korea Meteorological Industry Technology Institute (SKT consortium) announced on the 13th that they signed a business agreement for joint participation in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport-led K-UAM Grand Challenge and commercialization of commercial routes by 2025.

The SKT consortium decided to accelerate concrete collaboration to provide stable services in urban areas after conducting low-density projects such as tourism routes in non-urban areas. The low-density projects target areas with low population density where obstacles such as high-rise buildings and airspace restrictions are minimal, serving as a foothold to gradually secure social acceptance before urban commercialization.

SKT explained that this business agreement is significant as the consortium sets a concrete goal of starting tourism and public-use UAM business in 2025, divides roles by sector, and accelerates actual collaboration for commercialization.

The SKT consortium will participate in the first phase of the K-UAM Grand Challenge demonstration project led by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport next year. They plan to verify the safety of UAM aircraft and integrated operational feasibility at a dedicated test site in a non-urban environment, validating each company's technologies and solutions and establishing an interworking system.

SKT is responsible for mobility platform development and operation, building communication systems for UAM, and strengthening UAM demonstrations through collaboration with Joby Aviation in the United States. Korea Airports Corporation will build and operate UAM takeoff and landing sites, Hanwha Systems will handle aircraft development, maintenance, navigation, control, and ICT solutions, Korea Transport Institute will research UAM service demand forecasting and public acceptance strategies, and Korea Meteorological Industry Technology Institute will provide real-time weather information and forecasting services for UAM.

The UAM traffic management system will be developed collaboratively by SKT, Korea Airports Corporation, and Hanwha Systems.

Additionally, the consortium plans to focus its capabilities on launching tourism and public-use UAM business by 2025, accumulating diverse UAM-related business capabilities sufficiently before urban commercialization.

Yoo Young-sang, CEO of SKT, stated, "We will make every effort to establish a UAM traffic system and customer services optimized for Korea’s environment step by step, and accelerate commercialization by collaborating with the country’s top partners."

Meanwhile, SKT formed a consortium with Hanwha Systems, Korea Airports Corporation, and Korea Transport Institute in January last year and has been collaborating for UAM commercialization. These four entities also lead commercialization as the ‘K-UAM Dream Team,’ representing service, aircraft, infrastructure, and research sectors within the government-led ‘UAM Team Korea.’

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