Skyports has joined a consortium of British aviation companies that have been awarded £9.5m in government funding to demonstrate the commercial and operational viability of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). The news was announced at this week’s Farnborough Airshow taking place in Hampshire, UK.
The vertiport specialist is joined by a stellar line-up in the consortium, including Cranfield University, Vertical Aerospace, Virgin Atlantic, Atkins and NATS. Together the organisations will develop key technology and infrastructure in a project that will significantly accelerate the introduction of AAM in the UK. The £9.5m grant awarded by the UK Government’s Future Flight Challenge will help develop the essential building blocks of a viable AAM ecosystem that has the potential to be progressed into full commercial operations. To demonstrate the feasibility of a UK AAM ecosystem, Virgin Atlantic will operate Vertical Aerospace’s emission-free VX4eVTOL aircraft with two physical flights taking place initially between Bristol Airport and an airfield in South West England, as well as between London Heathrow and Skyports’ ‘Living Lab’ vertiport. A third simulation flight will demonstrate urban connectivity between London City and Bristol airports.
The ‘Living Lab’ vertiport will be a testbed for ground, passenger and air operations for the duration of the project with the aim to materially accelerate the development of AAM services and establish the UK as a leader in the design and operation of vertiport infrastructure.
Skyports CEO, Duncan Walker, said: “Just as airports are critical to commercial aeroplane travel, vertiports are critical to AAM. Our Living Lab will be a central component of the consortium, enabling Skyports and partners to demonstrate end-to-end operations and test the complexities of developing a commercially viable AAM network in the UK.”
Walker was joined by Holly Boyd-Boland, VP Corporate Development at Virgin Atlantic who noted: “As the only airline in the consortium, Virgin Atlantic brings 38 years of operational excellence, a relentless focus on safety and security, and an unrivalled focus on the end-to-end customer journey.”
The consortium will be led by Atkins, who will be responsible for technical management and integration of the two-year programme as it moves AAM form concept stage towards implementation. James Richmond, Head of AAM at Atkins concluded: “This is an exciting leap forward for AAM. This project brings together experts from across the industry to maintain the UK’s leading position in the future of aviation, moving us closer to commercial operations that will connect regions and contribute to the UK’s net-zero targets.”
Farnborough Airshow has seen Skyports announce a total of five projects across its drone operations and vertiport infrastructure work. Other announcements include Skyports Drone Services winning four projects: CAELUS, ALIAS, Cornwall Open Skies and Skyway.
