Skyports Infrastructure and Wagner Corporation have formed a partnership to explore vertiport development in Queensland, Australia.
The agreement is a collaborative effort to explore opportunities for vertiport development around Brisbane and the wider Queensland Area, with Wagner Corporation extracting real estate assets from its portfolio, and Skyports investigating the locations for design, operational, and commercial feasibility.
Yun-Yuan Tay, Head of Asia-Pacific at Skyports Infrastructure, said: “We’re committed to playing an integral role in enabling air taxi services across Queensland and the wider Australian market. Our partnership with Wagner Corporation brings essential local knowledge in airport development, construction, and real estate, which, combined with our vertiport infrastructure experience, will catalyse the launch of air taxi operations.”
Another facet of the partnership will include the two companies working with prospective eVTOL companies such as Wisk to discuss prime locations for air taxi operations. One option is Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, a privately funded public airport that specialises in regional and national transportation. The site is owned by Wager Corporation, and is situated 90 miles from Brisbane, making it ideal as a regional air taxi vertiport. The companies will assess the site to determine if a vertiport testbed can be developed.
“It is vital to start work on eVTOL infrastructure to have enough sites approved and operational in the lead up to the launch of air taxi services and ahead of the 2032 Olympics,” said John Wagner, Chairman at Wagner Corporation. “Our partnership with Skyports is an important step towards this goal. In addition, Wagner Corporation intends to build vertiport and manufacturing facilities at the Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport to allow all OEM operators access to a site for the construction and testing of eVTOLs for the Asia Pacific Region.”
Skyports and Wagner Corporation will equally work on the development of Australia’s AAM ecosystem, using Skyports industry knowledge and Wagner’s local and operational experience to open dialogue with stakeholders such as the state government, city councils, planning authorities and regulators.
This announcement follows a previous agreement between Wisk and Skyports to identify an Entry-Into-Service (EIS) network for Wisk’s autonomous Generation 6 aircraft.
Photo: Skyports Infrastructure/ Wagner Corporation
