Skyports Infrastructure has been given the green light from planning authorities to build the UK’s first permanent vertiport testbed for the electric air taxi industry.
Alongside partners Bicester Motion and OEM Vertical Aerospace, the 444-acre future mobility site will be located in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
“This facility will become a hub for testing our ground operations, proprietary technology stack, and integration with flight operations,” Addison Ferrell, Director of Skyports Infrastructure, told Zag Daily.
“The UK has a strong aviation history, which will continue to prosper as we and our industry partners develop the next generation of quiet, electric, vertical flight. As we transition into the build phase and progress through testing and development, the insights we gain will be crucial in defining the future of the UK’s Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry.”
New images have been released today showing the vertiport adjacent to Bicester Motion’s existing generational aviation grass runways, where it will continue the airfield’s long history of aerospace innovation. The vertiport will include a 160 square metre passenger terminal.
Vertical Aerospace’s latest VX4 prototype will be the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to fly at the vertiport. This is designed to be piloted, carry four passengers and has a range of up to 100 miles. The company successfully completed its first tethered piloted flight in July and is now progressing through its piloted test flight programme.
