Hamburg is the third-largest aviation location in the world and home to a strong UAS community. At the same time, the Elbe metropolis, particularly due to its two airports, faces a challenging airspace structure for integrating unmanned systems. Nevertheless, the Hanseatic city aims to become an international hub for Urban Air Mobility by 2030. The pathway from this vision to a mission and ultimately to reality is outlined in a UAM strategy by the Hamburg Senate.

The goal is clear, and it is explicitly stated: „The Hamburg metropolitan region will be a leading location for innovative applications with international appeal as well as technical and economic solutions in the field of Urban Air Mobility by 2030.” How this goal will be achieved is detailed in the Urban Air Mobility strategy of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

This strategy was primarily initiated and developed by the authority responsible for the aviation industry and air traffic, namely the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Innovation. The drone network Windrove team, part of the Hamburg Aviation economic cluster, played a central role in coordinating and organizing the pathway from idea to strategy.

Bottom-up approach

A distinctive feature of the strategy adopted by the Senate, which has been discussed positively across party lines in the Economic Committee of the Hamburg Parliament, is its broad participatory approach. Starting with an initial workshop in March 2024, numerous actors from authorities, business, and research were involved in the strategy process. With this bottom-up approach, it was ensured that various perspectives and needs were considered from the outset, not least to facilitate the practical implementation…