Advanced Air Mobility and the Low Altitude Economy: A Technological, Industrial, and Geopolitical Challenge Centered on People
In the aerospace and defense sector, the emergence of eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) platforms signals more than just a new aircraft category. It marks the beginning of a systemic transformation that touches urban mobility, industrial policy, defense innovation, and human capital development on a global scale.
Two Dominant Models Shaping the Future
- The Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) model, led by North American and European ecosystems;
- The Low Altitude Economy, actively developed in Asia—particularly China—as part of a national strategy.
These aren’t simply two variants of the same trend. They represent distinct economic philosophies, industrial structures, regulatory logics, and geopolitical orientations. Yet both depend on the same fundamental element: the availability and deployment of specialized, globally competent talent.
Advanced Air Mobility: Integration and Regulatory Complexity
In Western contexts, AAM is built as an extension of the existing aviation ecosystem. It emphasizes interoperability, safety, and incremental scalability. Core priorities include:
- Certification and regulation aligned with existing commercial aviation standards;
- Integration with ATM (Air Traffic Management) and UTM (Unmanned Traffic Management) systems;
- Multi-stakeholder collaboration involving civil aviation authorities, infrastructure providers, municipalities, and private sector players.
This path creates high levels of regulatory and operational complexity. It demands substantial investment in R&D, long lead times for certification, and coordination among multiple technical, institutional, and political actors. Above all, it relies on a highly specialized talent base capable of navigating the intersection of innovation and regulation.
Low Altitude Economy: Strategic Acceleration and National Coordination
China’s Low Altitude Economy, by contrast, is part of a broader state-led strategy aimed at accelerating industrial development and transforming regional logistics and services. eVTOLs are positioned not as standalone innovations, but as integral tools in a connected ecosystem covering:
- Cargo logistics
- Agricultural and industrial operations
- Public safety and emergency services
- Tourism and regional mobility
This vision has been institutionalized in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025), which includes:
- Gradual opening of low-altitude airspace for civilian applications;
- Establishment of Low Altitude Economic Pilot Zones across several provinces;
- A target to grow the domestic market to over 1 trillion RMB (approx. €130 billion) by 2030;
- Direct public investment in infrastructure, R&D, technical training, and startup incentives.
The Chinese model favors vertical integration, rapid deployment, and reduced reliance on foreign aerospace suppliers. It also aims to shape future international standards by exporting its own regulatory and operational frameworks.
The Geopolitics of Air Mobility
The divergence between these two models carries clear geopolitical implications.
Western stakeholders aim to preserve international interoperability and uphold safety benchmarks established by the traditional aviation industry. They seek to shape the future of air mobility through multilateral coordination and compliance-driven innovation.
China’s approach, on the other hand, enables faster scaling through centralized decision-making, domestic standardization, and national production chains. It positions the country to influence global markets—especially in developing regions—by offering fully integrated solutions.
This results in three strategic risks and opportunities:
- Regulatory fragmentation, as countries align with competing certification models;
- Supply chain bifurcation, forcing companies to choose between region-specific ecosystems;
- Shifting talent dynamics, where access to skilled labor may become regionally concentrated or politically sensitive.
Human Capital as a Strategic Asset
Beyond regulation, financing, and infrastructure, the defining success factor for both AAM and Low Altitude Economy models will be people—the ability to develop, attract, and empower professionals capable of delivering safe, scalable, and resilient air mobility systems.
In the AAM Model
Organizations require talent with deep expertise in certification, airworthiness, avionics, AI-based flight systems, and UTM integration.
Roles span engineering, regulatory affairs, systems architecture, flight testing, and operations planning.
Project leaders must manage complex stakeholder environments across public and private sectors.
The culture demands a combination of technical precision and cross-functional coordination.
In the Low Altitude Economy
Companies seek professionals who can industrialize technologies quickly and deploy them at scale.
There’s increasing demand for internationally experienced talent who can localize best practices within vertically integrated, state-driven ecosystems.
Operational leaders are expected to execute centralized plans efficiently and consistently across large regions.
Agility and executional excellence are critical to meet ambitious timelines and investment targets.
The New Competency Landscape
This transformation calls for a new mix of technical and behavioral competencies.
Key Technical Domains
- Autonomous systems and embedded software
- Electric propulsion, battery management, and lightweight materials
- V2X communications and unmanned traffic integration
- Cybersecurity in airborne platforms
- Safety-critical development and certification standards
Core Behavioral Skills
- Cross-cultural leadership
- Systems thinking in uncertain regulatory environments
- Strategic communication across technical and non-technical audiences
- Decision-making under complexity and ambiguity
- Adaptability to fast-evolving industrial ecosystems
These skills cannot be acquired through traditional aerospace career paths alone. They require cross-sector exposure, multidisciplinary training, and career models that reward technical depth alongside strategic impact.
Education, Reskilling, and Workforce Development
The human capital challenge also reshapes how organizations and institutions must approach talent development.
Academic institutions must update STEM curricula to reflect the realities of emerging air mobility, with greater focus on regulation, safety engineering, sustainable systems, and multidisciplinary design.
Public-private partnerships will be essential to bridge the gap between education and employment.
Companies must invest in reskilling and upskilling programs to transition professionals from adjacent sectors such as automotive, energy, and traditional aviation. These transitions are not optional—they are essential to building a sustainable and scalable workforce pipeline.
Talent analytics and digital assessment tools will play a growing role in identifying high-potential candidates, forecasting future skill needs, and deploying human resources in alignment with strategic priorities.
HR as a Strategic Driver
In this new context, HR can no longer function merely as a support unit. It must play a central, strategic role in shaping the organizations that will define the future of aerospace mobility.
Human Resources leaders will need to:
- Anticipate future skills requirements and adapt recruitment accordingly;
- Create global career paths and retention strategies;
- Foster inclusive technical cultures that support collaboration across disciplines and geographies;
- Guide transformation not just structurally, but culturally.
Specialized partners like Sky Hunters can be instrumental—not only by identifying high-value professionals, but by helping organizations define the human capital systems and strategies that support long-term innovation and international competitiveness.
Conclusion
The future of air mobility will be electric, autonomous, and deeply integrated into digital and urban infrastructure. But none of it will happen without people.
Kilpatrick Executive, through its specialized division Sky Hunters, supports aerospace and defense organizations in building the leadership, technical talent, and operational expertise needed to turn vision into execution—across models, regions, and regulatory frameworks.
Andrea Spiriti
Director ASEAN and Sky Hunters