Wisk forms partnership with Airservices Australia

news
0
SHARE:
Wisk

Wisk Aero has further cemented its position on Australia as a key initial launch market, announcing a partnership with state-owned air traffic management specialist Airservices Australia. 

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) will see Wisk and Airservices explore how remotely supervised aircraft can be integrated into the Australian national airspace. Efforts include: airspace procedures for autonomous aircraft, digital flight approvals and time and trajectory-based operations, as well as how these procedures will operate within vertiport environments

The agreement will also see Wisk develop workshops and simulations for Airservices staff and Australia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to aid understanding of how AAM will integrate into the national airspace.  This will be expanded over time to include live aircraft trials using digital interfaces, according to Wisk.

[We do this] so that we can have confidence in the safe integration of our Gen 6 air taxi into the Australian airspace, alongside other crewed and uncrewed aircraft,” Catherine MacGowan, Wisk’s VP of APAC and Air Operations told Revolution.Aero. “This work will support Airservices, to ensure that the systems and procedures they develop for the future will enable AAM operations as well as traditional aviation operators.”

MacGowan highlighted the importance of building relationships with government entities in every region in which Wisk intends to operate. 

“Wisk has a great relationship with CASA, which is equivalent to the FAA in the US,” she said. “More locally, Wisk formed a partnership with the Council of Mayors SEQ [South East Queensland] to work together on everything from city planning and infrastructure to route design and regulatory roadmaps, to introduce safe, sustainable and scalable AAM services in the region.

“We are also working with Skyports on developing a vertiport network that will integrate with the transport system for the region,” she added.

Wisk signed the MoU with the Council of Mayors SEQ, Australia’s largest regional local government advocacy organisation, back in 2022. More recently, in July, Wisk expanded its partnership with Skyports Infrastructure to identify an entry-into-service (EIS) network for its autonomous aircraft ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games. 

Wisk’s subsidiary Wisk Australia will lead the EIS in the country and will also lead the engagement with Airservices under this latest agreement. 

“Australia has a history of aviation innovation and a vision for the future that includes advanced air mobility,” explained MacGowan. “We’re grateful to share that vision with Airservices, and to contribute to an air traffic system that meets the needs of AAM services so we can bring safe, efficient air travel to communities in this region.”

Airservices plans to establish a flight information management system (FIMS), which, according to Wisk, is critical for enhancing safety and for integrating AAM into a fully coordinated and “seamless” airspace.

SHARE: