Economic and Management Challenges in Urban Air Mobility and Drone Systems
DETAILS
CALL FOR PAPERS
Economic and Management Challenges in Urban Air Mobility and Drone Systems
Journal: Transport Economics and Management
Publisher: Elsevier
Submission Deadline: 13 May 2027
Introduction
The rapid development of low-altitude airspace has attracted significant attention across multiple disciplines — including aviation, transportation, economic analysis, urban planning, and management. Although its practical application remains at an early stage, particularly for passenger transport, various stakeholders have commenced planning, modelling, analyzing, and evaluating the potential impacts of low-altitude mobility systems.
The recent removal of regulatory barriers in low-altitude airspace in the United States — along with ongoing efforts in other regions — suggests that the deployment of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and drone systems in urban environments may soon become a reality.
Scope & Significance
Numerous challenges remain — including infrastructure development, network design, airspace management, pricing, routing, and scheduling. UAM for passenger transport introduces not only an additional travel option but also potential long-term implications for residential location choices. Drone-based parcel delivery, if proven cost-effective through appropriate planning, could reshape consumer lifestyles and transform conventional logistics operations.
A key factor underlying successful implementation of UAM and drone systems is their integration with existing transportation services and infrastructure — essential to achieving efficient multimodal systems that are economically viable and responsive to the dynamic needs of travelers and consumers.
This Special Issue invites theoretical and empirical studies addressing the economic and managerial aspects of UAM and drone systems in both passenger transport and logistics contexts. Contributions based on real-world data from UAM or drone operations — as well as those emphasizing theoretical or methodological developments — are particularly welcome.
List of Topic Areas
Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:
Economic assessment of UAM and drone-based logistics
Optimization and management of UAM operations
Optimization and management of drone logistics systems
Airspace planning and management for low-altitude mobility
Spatial accessibility and equity analysis related to UAM
Infrastructure planning for efficient UAM and drone operations
Integration of drone delivery with intermodal transport — trucks, ships, and supporting infrastructure including landing, takeoff, and charging facilities
Integration of UAM with multimodal transport systems — taxis, metro, airlines — and mobility hubs including stations and airports
Regional and inter-city planning of UAM systems
Safety considerations in UAM and drone operations
Regulatory frameworks, policy issues, and public acceptance of UAM and drones
Assessment of externalities — noise, energy, and GHG emissions — associated with UAM and drones
Pricing and cost structures in UAM and drone service operations
Machine learning and AI applications in UAM and drone system management
Low-altitude economy — economic development and policy implications
Guest Editors
Prof. Tao Feng (Lead Guest Editor) Hiroshima University, Japan Email: taofeng@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Prof. Bo Zou University of Illinois Chicago, USA Email: bzou@uic.edu
Prof. Lingxiao Wu The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China Email: lingxiao-leo.wu@polyu.edu.hk
Key Deadlines
Manuscript Submission Opens: 15 May 2026 Manuscript Submission Deadline: 13 May 2027
Methodological Approaches Welcome
The editors encourage submissions employing diverse methodologies including:
Economic analysis and cost-benefit assessment
Optimization models and operations research
Machine learning and AI applications
Simulation and scenario analysis
Qualitative research on regulatory and standards dimensions of UAM and drone operations
Submission Guidelines
Submit your manuscript via the journal's online submission system. When submitting, select Article Type:
"VSI: UAM"
to ensure the submission is correctly grouped under this Special Issue for the peer review process.
All submissions must adhere to the standard author guidelines of Transport Economics and Management. Submitted articles must not have been previously published or currently under review for publication elsewhere.
Why Publish in This Special Issue?
Special Issue articles are downloaded twice as often within the first 24 months compared to regular issue articles
Special Issue articles attract 20% more citations in the first 24 months
Articles are published together on ScienceDirect — easy for researchers to discover your work
All articles reviewed by no fewer than two independent experts
About the Journal
Transport Economics and Management, published by Elsevier, is a fully open access peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing research at the intersection of transport economics, management, and policy. It provides an international platform for interdisciplinary scholarship exploring the economic, operational, and managerial dimensions of transportation systems — including aviation, logistics, urban mobility, and emerging transport technologies worldwide.
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