Innovate UK is pleased to announce the establishment of the Future Flight Community Integration Group, a collaborative initiative driven by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge.

The Future Flight Community Integration Group comprises a diverse range of members, including representatives from central and local government, industry, academia, end users, and an accessibility charity. ARPAS-UK is delighted to be involved and will draw on our own organisations and networks to bring input from others and ensure diverse voices are heard.

Kerissa Khan, Innovation Lead for UKRI’s Future Flight challenge and Co-Chair of the Community Integration Group, said:

The future of aviation is at a pivotal point. Advanced air mobility and drones are transforming the aviation sector, unlocking opportunities to better serve people and places with future flight. To secure the socio-economic benefits, we need to trailblaze pragmatic pathways to seamlessly integrate these new technologies and services into society. The variety of complexities we must tackle demands a collaborative approach drawing insights from across industry, government, and many different communities. I am pleased to launch the Future Flight Community Integration Group and am looking forward to bringing together diverse expertise, providing a forum for knowledge sharing and working together with a shared ambition to make future flight a reality across the UK.

Aleks Kowalski, ARPAS-UK Director, and its representative on the Community Integration Group, said:

ARPAS is pleased to have a seat on the Future Flight Community Integration Group as we recognise that drones have the potential to revolutionise how we connect people, transport goods, and deliver services in urban, rural, and remote areas, offering transformative opportunities for the aviation industry.  By understanding and addressing legitimate community concerns we can design services that also bring significant social and economic benefits to society and highlight the positive opportunities that future flight services can bring, demonstrating the potential for enhanced connectivity, improved transportation, and expanded service delivery.

We look forward to supporting networking and collaboration opportunities among stakeholders, fostering partnerships, knowledge sharing, and innovative initiatives that drive progress in the aviation industry and beyond to deliver outputs such as plans, roadmaps, policy insights, and recommendations to guide the integration of drone services into local communities and regions to create a sustainable aviation ecosystem by considering environmental factors, community needs, and long-term viability in the deployment of future flight technologies.

For more information, follow this link.

2 June 2023