Who will board urban air taxis? An analysis of advanced air mobility demand and value of travel time for business, airport access, and regional tourism trips in Iran

Recent advancements in the development of a comprehensive urban air mobility ecosystem promise the opportunity for its implementation in the near future. However, the utility of this emerging mode of transportation in comparison to the existing modes varies for different trip purposes and geographical contexts. It is, therefore, imperative to assess its usage potential for various scenarios before moving forward with implementation efforts. This paper presents the findings of three stated preference surveys aimed at characterizing prospective urban air mobility travel demand for weekly business, airport access, and regional tourism trips in Iran. Hybrid multinomial logit and hybrid nested logit models are estimated for each trip purpose. The results indicate that urban air mobility for weekly business trips represents the most viable market segment. Value-of-time estimates for weekly business trips are more than two and a half times higher than those for airport access trips, and tourism trips are valued even less. There is a trend towards delaying the adoption of air taxis to gain trust, and reducing ticket prices is seen as the most effective incentive for increasing the adoption rate. This study pioneers research on urban air mobility in a developing country context, offering valuable insights into market viability for investors and policymakers. • Long-distance interurban business-oriented services are the most plausible use cases for UAM in developing countries. • Air taxi travel time for long-distance weekly business trips is valued significantly higher than for airport access trips. • Familiarity with hi-tech systems and safety-related concerns are among the main determinants of propensity towards UAM. • Income is a key factor of UAM use for weekly business trips but its impact on access and tourism is inconclusive. • Lowering ticket prices is the main incentive for UAM adoption followed by gaining trust over time.