Unifly, Terra Drone and Aloft Form Global UTM Alliance for Advanced Air Mobility
Unifly, Terra Drone and Aloft Technologies are joining forces to build global UTM infrastructure for AAM. The companies announced the alliance on April 25, 2024, in Antwerp, positioning it as a framework for managing the growing mix of traditional aircraft, drones and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft in shared airspace.
The partnership brings together three established players in UAS Traffic Management, or UTM, at a time when regulators, operators and aircraft developers are preparing for more complex low-altitude traffic. The companies said the alliance is intended to support a global standard for UTM in Advanced Air Mobility, a sector that depends on reliable digital systems to coordinate flight planning, authorization, traffic awareness and operational safety. At XPONENTIAL 2024 in San Diego, the partners outlined their plan to advance UTM technology for future aerial transportation networks.
The work will focus on upgrades to existing UTM platforms, including more automation, advanced planning tools and improved parsing of Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, information. Those capabilities are aimed at helping eVTOL aircraft and drones integrate more smoothly into national airspace systems as test flights, prototypes and public interest accelerate around new air mobility services. Morgan Stanley has projected that the Urban Air Mobility market, a subset of AAM, could reach $1 trillion by 2040 and as much as $9 trillion by 2050.
The companies are also engaging with eVTOL manufacturers, operators, vertiport operators, aviation authorities, air navigation service providers, urban planners and educational institutions. The goal is to build a broader ecosystem around AAM that addresses urban mobility, sustainability and air traffic safety while aligning technology development with the needs of regulators and future operators. Unifly has completed more than 10 commercial UTM deployments worldwide, Aloft Technologies has powered more than 1 million airspace authorizations through its UTM platform in the United States, and Japan-based Terra Drone develops drone and UAM technologies used across sectors including oil and gas, construction and agriculture.
The alliance underscores a central challenge for advanced air mobility: aircraft development is moving quickly, but large-scale operations require trusted traffic management infrastructure. A common UTM framework could help reduce fragmentation between markets and give authorities a clearer path for integrating drones and eVTOL aircraft into civil airspace. Its impact will depend on how effectively the partners can turn platform upgrades and industry coordination into operational standards for real-world airspace.