KT completes UAM flight test off Incheon coast with AI traffic management

KT Corp has successfully completed an urban air mobility (UAM) demonstration in Incheon's island region, verifying AI-based traffic management technology in a live flight environment and achieving a 100% communication success rate across all flight segments by combining 5G mobile and satellite communications.

KT Corp said Wednesday it completed the public-model UAM demonstration together with Incheon Metropolitan City, the Aviation and Aerospace Industry Convergence Institute and the K-UAM One Team. The K-UAM One Team comprises KT Corp, Hyundai Motor Company, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Incheon International Airport Corp and Korean Air.

The K-UAM One Team, working with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, applied the integrated operational capabilities built up through the K-UAM Grand Challenge to routes connecting Geojampo and Wangsan Marina on Yeongjongdo with Deokjeokdo.

The demonstration also refined public UAM flight routes aimed at improving transportation access for island residents and verified operational feasibility through actual flights. The team additionally reviewed an urban air data distribution system for sharing safety-critical information among relevant agencies in real time.

KT Corp described the demonstration as the first public-model UAM pilot in a domestic island region carried out through collaboration among the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local government and private companies. The company said it was also significant as a foundation for extending the Grand Challenge's results into regional public services. UAM is drawing attention in island communities as a new mode of transport that can complement existing ferry-based connections.

KT Corp connected its in-house UAM agent-based traffic management AX platform with a 5G-satellite hybrid aviation network and an urban air data distribution system. The company said it verified the stability of AI-based traffic management technology and communications infrastructure under actual island and maritime flight conditions.

According to KT Corp, a robust traffic management system will be essential once UAM enters commercial service, as multiple aircraft will operate simultaneously at relatively low altitudes. Real-time monitoring of flight plans, aircraft positions, weather data and the operational status of vertiports — takeoff and landing facilities — will all be required.

The UAM agent developed by KT Corp uses AI to analyze flight operation data and recommend optimal departure and arrival times, standard operating procedures and contingency responses for each situation, supporting decision-making by traffic management personnel. The company said it applied the UAM agent across the entire traffic management process — from flight planning through to landing — and confirmed that AI-based decision support functions effectively in a live flight environment.

KT Corp also said securing a communications network capable of transmitting aircraft position data and maintaining real-time voice contact with pilots is critical, as coverage gaps can occur over island and maritime areas.

To address this, KT Corp built a hybrid communications system combining a UAM-dedicated 5G aviation network in the 800MHz band with satellite communications. Working with KT SAT, the company achieved a 100% communication success rate throughout all flight segments, transmitting aircraft position data to the UAM traffic management AX platform without interruption.

The system also maintained voice communication quality over maritime airspace, supporting real-time exchanges between pilots and traffic management personnel. KT Corp said this confirmed the stability of the aviation network for real-time flight tracking and voice communications in island and maritime operating environments.

Won Man-ho, head of KT Corp's AX Platform Division, said the Incheon island demonstration "confirmed the potential of a public UAM operating model in which the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, local government and private companies work together to solve regional transportation challenges." He added that KT Corp would expand its public UAM services, drawing on its UAM traffic management AX platform, 5G-satellite hybrid aviation network and integrated operational experience with the K-UAM One Team.