Vertiport at vanguard of eVTOL mobility in UK
The journey time from Bicester, Oxfordshire to central London could be cut to under 25 minutes with electric air taxis operating from a site being developed by Skyports Infrastructure.
The company is developing the UK’s first vertiport testbed that will support the take-off and landing of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft.
In a statement, Duncan Walker, chief executive officer, Skyports, said: “Our vertiport at Bicester Motion is ideally located to serve as a central hub for the UK’s advanced air mobility industry.
“The facility will be employed by Skyports and our strategic partners to test and refine all aspects of our ground technology and operations within a UK context. This will also be a key location for early demonstration flights in the UK and will help to pave the way for permanent operations in the future.”
The vertiport is being developed on the 444-acre Bicester Motion site as part of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium (AMEC), which aims to demonstrate the commercial and operational viability of Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) in Britain.
Supported by Innovate UK’s Future Flight Challenge, the vertiport will serve as a key node for vertiport network planning and demonstrations, plus AMEC’s wider testing programme.
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