AAM Summit 2025

Our Group CEO, Dennis Keller, recently attended and delivered a keynote at the World Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Summit 2025 in Yuyao, China, where global aviation leaders met to discuss what it will take to safely and sustainably scale next-generation air mobility.

In his address, Dennis highlighted an often-overlooked opportunity in Southeast Asia: the “blue market”, which refers to water-based AAM operations, enabled by amphibious aircraft and amphibious eVTOLs. The “red market” refers to land-based eVTOL operations, typically focused on urban environments and while these land-based urban eVTOL concepts dominate industry discussions, they address only part of the region’s mobility needs. With more than 25,000 islands and extensive coastlines, Southeast Asia requires solutions designed for its geography, namely amphibious AAM. Dennis emphasized that water itself is infrastructure: sustainable, cost-free, and instantly usable. With a dock serving as a vertiport and a bay as a runway, amphibious aircraft and emerging sustainable amphibious aircraft can begin delivering value today.

However, Dennis cautioned that true progress requires more than demonstrations or short-term “sandbox” projects. Sustainable AAM depends on long-term regulatory frameworks, including standards for training, maintenance, and operational safety, areas where Seaplane Asia has been actively building capacity across the region.

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During the panel discussion on “Creating the conditions for global AAM market growth,” Dennis expanded on these themes alongside thought leaders including Emerson Xu of NexAvian, Sabrina Li of Albatross.ai (Tianjin) Aviation Technology, and Eding Yi of Korea Aerospace University. The discussion illuminated a critical truth: the earliest globally scalable AAM applications will not be urban air taxis. Instead, the first viable markets will emerge through emergency services, disaster response, essential goods delivery, and premium regional routes—areas where AAM can provide immediate and demonstrable value. Urban passenger operations, Dennis noted, will arrive later as systems mature.

A consistent theme throughout the Summit was the need for integration. The future of AAM is not “blue” versus “red,” but a unified network where amphibious aircraft enable regional middle-mile mobility and eVTOLs deliver ultra-local first- and last-mile access. This combined approach offers the most practical and sustainable path forward.

With contributions from OEMs, academic leaders, regulators, and international policymakers, the Summit reinforced a shared belief: the future of advanced air mobility will be built through partnership. As Dennis underscored, meaningful progress comes from collaboration grounded in real-world experience, strong regulatory foundations, and a commitment to long-term, sustainable implementation.

From Yuyao, the message was clear: the next chapter of aviation will be shaped not by isolated efforts, but by a unified community working together toward a more connected future.