UK. British start-up Urban-Air Port (UAP) is today opening Air-One, the much-anticipated infrastructure enabling a world-first demonstration of a fully-operational hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.The vertiport site in the UK city of Coventry – which will showcase air taxis and autonomous cargo drones – heralds a new age of zero-emission, congestion-reducing urban transport.
The Moodie Davitt Report is on location for the next two days among the VIP guests to be granted first sight of the vertiport. As well as images inside and outside of the ground-breaking development, we will bring you reactions from key stakeholders, provide insight into how the vertiport works and assess its significance to the travel retail market.
We will also find out what is driving the prediction that the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry could become a US$1 trillion market inside 20 years. Keep an eye on our home page for live updates.
UAP – backed by the UK Government and supported by Hyundai’s AAM division Supernal – will operate Air-One for at least one month. The infrastructure on show will provide a blueprint for more than 200 vertiports planned worldwide by UAP over the next five years.
UAP said its order book for additional sites is growing, with vertiports already planned in the UK in the West Midlands and London, and internationally in the US (Los Angeles), Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia and Southeast Asia.
There is a strong pipeline of eVTOL aircraft being developed by more than 600 companies which aim to enter commercial operations this decade. However, the lack of ground infrastructure remains one of the biggest barriers to growth, according to analysis by NASA.
UAP said Air-One will demonstrate how purpose-built ground infrastructure can unleash the potential of AAM to decarbonise transport and cut air pollution and congestion, whilst providing seamless passenger journeys and deliveries.
UAP – whose partners include Munich Airport International – will generate revenue through an infrastructure-as-a-service model, enabling customers to decide the level of service they require. This, it noted, can include purchasing Urban-Air Port infrastructure, through to a full-service offering that includes site-specific design and development and ongoing operations and maintenance for their ground, air and digital infrastructure solutions.
UAP said its mission is to deliver a world-class customer experience at Air-One and demonstrate the potential of non-aeronautical revenue streams to support a rapid global rollout.
As reported, the company has partnered with brands holding strong links to the travel retail channel including Anatomie, Bottega, Nestlé, Paul & Shark, Rituals and Henkell Freixenet. They are all supporting UAP’s new retail and F&B brand, Urban-Air Choice, which will be underpinned by an app of the same name.
Urban-Air Port Founder and Executive Ricky Sandhu said: “The opening of Air-One is a momentous moment – the starting gun for a new age of transport, an age of zero-emission, congestion-free travel between and within cities that will make people healthier, happier and more connected than ever before. Cars have roads. Trains have rails. Planes have airports. Now, eVTOLs have an Urban-Air Port.
“From design, through to fabrication and now into operation, Urban-Air Port has delivered Air-One in just 15 months, setting the standard for deployment globally and opening up a world of possibilities for rapid response air mobility.”
He added: “Air-One is just the first model in our infrastructure fleet and our order book is not only open but already growing. The interest is turning into recognition of the need for our technology and into demand.”
UK Minister for Aviation Robert Courts said: “British innovation has a rich history of transforming global transportation, from the creation of the railroads in the 1800s, to the growth of great British brands such as Jaguar, Triumph and Rover in the 1950s.
“The opening of Air-One, backed by Government funding, will revolutionise the way people and goods travel across the nation. This step forward puts Britain at the vanguard of clean transport, bringing investment and high-skilled, green job opportunities to the nation, while levelling up opportunity in the Midlands.”
Supernal Chief Commercial Officer Mike Whitaker said: “Air-One serves as a valuable, tangible asset to helping build stakeholder confidence and trust in emerging mobility technology and supporting systems. The Coventry demonstration is an important first step forward to reimagining how people across the world will move, connect and live.
“Developing a scalable system to support advanced air mobility operations requires collaboration from all industries and corners of the world. Supernal’s support of Urban-Air Port reinforces our belief in fusing technology and innovation to enable humanity and society to reach new levels of potential.”
You can book your visit to the Air One public event, which is running from 28 April-15 May, here. For more on retail opportunities, email keith@urbanairport.com; and for F&B opportunities, contact Nick Goddard-Palmer at nick@urbanairport.com.
Note: To subscribe free of charge to our new newsletter focusing on the eVTOL and urban air mobility industry, please email kristyn@moodiedavittreport.com headed ‘Urban Air Mobility Newsletter’.
All stories will be permanently archived on a dedicated page on our website. For sponsorship and content opportunities, please email mark@moodiedavittreport.com.
