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@article{Wu:2026:10.1016/j.urbmob.2026.100277,
author = {Wu, C and Zhang, D and Jin, Y and Xue, C and Sivakumar, A},
doi = {10.1016/j.urbmob.2026.100277},
journal = {Journal of Urban Mobility},
title = {Demand for intermodal urban air mobility as an airport access mode},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.urbmob.2026.100277},
volume = {10},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR
AB - Urban Air Mobility (UAM) presents a promising solution to alleviate road congestion and reduce travel times for longer trips. However, UAM trips require take-off and landing at dedicated vertiports, making them inherently intermodal. This study investigates passenger preferences for intermodal UAM transport as an airport access mode, relative to conventional private and public transport options, using London’s Heathrow Airport as the empirical context. To elicit these preferences, we design a stated preference experiment capturing travellers’ choices among airport access alternatives comprising different combinations of main travel modes and access modes, and analyse these choices using a range of discrete choice models. The analysis of survey data shows substantial heterogeneity in respondents’ preferences for UAM options and associated service attributes. Respondents exhibit an overall negative intrinsic preference for UAM as an airport access mode on average, but the UAM + taxi option is selected with non-negligible frequency across choice tasks. In particular, individuals who typically use taxis to access airports are more likely to choose UAM options, especially the UAM + taxi combination. Furthermore, when evaluating intermodal airport access trips, travellers appear to evaluate the overall travel option primarily based on the main travel mode, with the access mode serving as a secondary consideration. These findings provide evidence on UAM adoption potential for airport access and offer implications for future UAM service design and planning.
AU - Wu,C
AU - Zhang,D
AU - Jin,Y
AU - Xue,C
AU - Sivakumar,A
DO - 10.1016/j.urbmob.2026.100277
PY - 2026///
TI - Demand for intermodal urban air mobility as an airport access mode
T2 - Journal of Urban Mobility
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.urbmob.2026.100277
VL - 10
ER -