Skyports has announced plans to establish a vertiport testbed at Bicester Motion in Oxfordshire, UK.
The vertiport will feature a compact passenger terminal covering 160 square meters to act as a testing ground for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations. This site will be positioned adjacent to Bicester Motion’s existing general aviation grass runways.
The new vertiport will continue Bicester Motion’s tradition of aerospace innovation and will help realise its vision of integrating traditional and vertical aviation operations.
Daniel Geoghegan, chief executive, Bicester Motion said:Our agreement is a major step for UK aviation innovation. Partnering with such an innovative company as Skyports is not only a significant boost to Oxfordshire’s aviation cluster but also will facilitate the development and accessibility to a new sustainable, low-carbon and futuristic mode of transport across the world.
This news reflects the next chapter in Bicester Motion’s evolution of aviation and presents the opportunity for Bicester and the county to be at the forefront of this exciting pioneering industry.
Developed as part of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium and supported by Innovate UK’s Future Flight Challenge, the vertiport will facilitate early vertiport network planning, demonstrations and broader testing programmes in the UK.
For example, Vertical Aerospace is set to conduct demonstration flights and key procedure tests at the vertiport ahead of its commercial launch.
Skyports aims to inaugurate the UK vertiport by the end of 2024. The site will include passenger processing facilities, an operations room equipped with Vertiport Automation System (VAS) technology and a situational awareness module for airspace and vertiport perimeter monitoring.
These facilities aim to demonstrate the efficiency and seamless integration of vertiport infrastructure into urban landscapes.
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.
