Willingness to use urban air mobility (UAM) as an airport shuttle across levels of automation

Abstract

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is an emerging transportation solution aiming to alleviate congestion and enhance sustainability in urban areas. Automation capabilities are evolving from manned control to full autonomy, and at each stage of this progression, the willingness to use each system represents a behavioural intention toward adoption. This study investigates willingness to use UAM for airport shuttle services across three levels of automation: Manned control, Remotely piloted, and Fully autonomous. The study employed survey data from 1613 respondents in South Korea. Using ordered logit models, we examine how socio-demographic and current airport travel behaviour influence adoption. Results show that approximately 60% of respondents were willing to use manned control UAM, whereas only about 30% expressed willingness under remotely piloted or fully autonomous UAM. Adoption patterns and predictors of adoption vary depending on the level of automation. While current travel time to the airport and the primary purpose of airport use are prominent predictors of willingness to use UAM at the manned control level, demographic characteristics, particularly gender and age, become more significant at remotely piloted and fully autonomous UAM, as the level of automation increases. The frequency of international travel consistently predicts a higher willingness to adopt UAM, regardless of the level of automation. These findings highlight the need for level-specific adoption strategies and suggest that trust and risk perception need to be addressed as automation increases. This study contributes empirical evidence for policymakers, service operators, and urban planners informing differentiated communication and integration strategies tailored to user profiles and system maturity.