Altaport and WSP publish concept of operations discussing business requirements for a VAS

Altaport and WSP released a concept of operations providing a detailed approach on the critical business requirements of a Vertiport Automation System. The concept of a VAS has been addressed in recent years in various whitepapers and concepts of operations; this new VAS CONOPS complements these prior works, adding context to a VAS’s role in integrating critical operational and business requirements to maximize the value of a vertiport network.

Cory Cozzens, CEO of Altaport commented: “We're excited to unveil this CONOPS, intended to bridge the gap between technical innovation and practical application of vertiport automation systems. While previous works have thoroughly explored the technical aspects of a VAS, our focus is integrating technical requirements with the operational and business realities that will define the vertiport ecosystem. Drawing on decades of experience operating on-demand and scheduled services through GA airports and heliports, we’ve crafted a framework that reflects the unique and varied economic and operational dynamics of both privately owned and publicly funded vertiports. This CONOPS offers a clear vision for how a VAS will allow these individual entities to function as a cohesive network, balancing safety and operational efficiency with the distinct needs of each vertiport.”

Paul Wheeler, Vice President of Aerial Innovation at WSP in the U.S. said: “WSP is proud to have contributed our comprehensive expertise in aviation and transportation to the development of this groundbreaking CONOPS. By combining our industry knowledge with Altaport’s innovation in the airport operations management and VAS space, we've identified key business opportunities with vertiport automation. This CONOPS is a critical step towards realizing the full potential of Advanced Air Mobility."

Altaport, an innovator in the general aviation and Advanced Air Mobility ecosystems, provides a modern and highly automated operations management toolset for today’s airports and heliports and tomorrow’s vertiports and droneports. Altaport airport and vertiport management solutions have been designed specifically to accommodate the high-volume and autonomous future of AAM, ensuring that all aerodromes are prepared to handle the influx of demand and shifts in operational cadence that will come with aircraft electrification and autonomy. 

The CONOPS is the result of a deep collaboration among Altaport and WSP and other technical and thought leaders in the Advanced Air Mobility space, including BluSky Services, GeoRq LLC, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Harper4D Solutions, and ResilienX. In addition to building on existing research, the document aligns with key business objectives that will drive economic value and facilitate growth within the AAM sector.

The VAS CONOPS introduces or adds detail to several concepts related to the management of a vertiport through a VAS, including:

• Adoption of modern operational concepts including Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) and Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) at the VAS and operator level, whether adopted generally at the NAS level or not; and

• Inclusion of an economic dimension within the TBO framework–in addition to the commonly discussed latitude, longitude, altitude, and time dimensions–allowing for the vertiport and aircraft operators to take into consideration the economic or business value of an operation when necessary (e.g., due to atypically constrained availability of resources), appropriate, and permissible.