advertising

Skyports and Bicester Motion unveil plans for UK’s first vertiport testbed for air taxi industry

The new vertiport will include a compact 160 sq m passenger terminal and will be a critical facility for testing ground infrastructure and flight operations

advertising

Skyports Infrastructure (Skyports) has signed an agreement to develop the UK’s first vertiport testbed at Bicester Motion, Oxfordshire, the 444-acre estate dedicated to pioneering mobility technology, past, present and future.

The new vertiport, which will include a compact 160 sq m passenger terminal, will be a critical facility for testing ground infrastructure and flight operations and will play a significant role in enabling the next generation of electric, low noise aviation in the UK.

The vertiport, positioned adjacent to Bicester Motion’s existing general aviation grass runways, will continue the airfield’s long history of aerospace innovation. It will also align with Bicester Motion’s strategic vision to integrate both traditional and vertical aviation operations from its airfield.

Developed as part of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium and backed by Innovate UK’s Future Flight Challenge, the vertiport will serve as a key node for early vertiport network planning and demonstrations, as well as for the Consortium’s wider testing programme and public and stakeholder engagement. This will include being flown at by Vertical Aerospace, the global company developing one of the world’s most advanced electric aircraft in the UK, to conduct demonstration flights and test key procedures ahead of commercial launch.

Skyports will aim to open the doors to its UK vertiport by the end of 2024 to align with the AMEC testing programme.

Skyports’ new vertiport at Bicester Motion will include:

advertising
Exit mobile version