Skyportz, a leader in air taxi infrastructure, has unveiled an excellent design for a vertiport to facilitate the swift establishment of an international network of air taxi landing sites. These innovative aluminium vertiport solutions are affordable and modular, providing a turn-key option for smaller property sites seeking to participate in the Advanced Air Mobility future.
The modular monocoque aluminium shells are available in three sizes that can be joined together, depending on space requirements.
During the launch at Paris’ Airshow, Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown, asserted: “The focus in the industry to date has been on larger vertiports located at existing airports. This is the low-hanging fruit which will form the essential backbone of an Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem.”
“However, if this industry is to reach its potential, we need to break the nexus between aviation and airports and let private property owners develop their own vertiports. At Skyportz, we are focusing on affordable options that property developers can incorporate into new developments or retrofit into existing buildings,” Brown added.
“Our first design is a beautiful tiny aluminium shell modular vertiport building that can be delivered to the site in an open-topped shipping container. It can be affordably shipped anywhere in the world. It is designed and costed and can be built and delivered right now,” he illustrated.
The economy of larger vertiports does not appear feasible, given the absence of certified aircraft and a viable business model. Despite this, property players are eagerly seeking to become involved in this revolution, as this is probably the future of air transport.
Newton-Brown went on to elucidate: “Everyone can sense this is going to be big, but no one wants to get burnt by over-capitalising too early. What the property industry needs is an entry-level step to get a toehold into the ecosystem. They want something that is small, fixed price and able to be easily installed”.
“With the Vertiport-in-a-Box™ property owners can move fast to show their investors and tenants that they are ready to be part of this revolution – and the vertiport building can be used for other purposes such as a bar or cafe while we wait for aircraft to get certified”, motioned Newton-Brown.
It has been perceived that, at this moment, it is a bit early to pester for government approvals to use vertiport, as global standards are still being developed, and no government has yet established rules and protocols for this flying module.
“Skyportz will be getting our network of vertiports established now with enthusiastic property owners who will come back later for an aviation use permit. In the meantime, they will have a vertiport building that could be used for other purposes”, Newton-Brown concluded.
Skyportz has partnered with various specialist companies to construct and activate modular vertiports, providing weather data, air traffic management systems, booking services, battery charging, last-mile logistics, and aviation operations. The design, unveiled in Paris, is the first in a series of modular designs that will be released this year, tailored to suit various applications and price points.
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