Munich Airport International and UK-based UAM ground infrastructure developer and manufacturer Urban-Air Port are to jointly develop eVTOL ground infrastructure and airport operations for the eVTOL air taxis that are expected to be operational by the middle of the decade, creating a roadmap for efficient and sustainable flight operations.

Urban-Air Port is currently deploying its Air One programme, a fully operational and integrated airport for drones and eVTOL aircraft that interlinks air mobility with ground transportation in a multimodal hub. From Spring 2022, Air One will be located in Coventry, a UK site chosen for its established aerospace and automobile R&D and manufacturing industries. The goal is to demonstrate an ultra-compact, rapidly deployable, multi-functional operations hub for manned and unmanned vehicles, providing aircraft command and control, charging and refuelling, cargo and passenger loading and other associated services.

“The aviation industry is constantly evolving. While urban air mobility was a vague vision just a few years ago, this trend is within reach today. We at Munich Airport International see great potential in this new mode of transportation and have developed an advanced air mobility programme to actively shape the future,” says managing director Dr Ralf Gaffal. “Partnering with Urban-Air Port allows us to join forces in designing, implementing and operating scalable and sustainable urban-air ports around the world.”

Both parties will also collaborate on longer term projects and opportunities, with an initial focus on markets that are expected to emerge in the next couple of years.

Urban-Air Port is an integrated hub for all sustainable transport, including drones, eVTOLs, electric vehicles, buses or scooters, ensuring an integrated approach to the decarbonisation of cities. Cargo and passengers can be safely and quickly loaded and unloaded, and can integrate with onward transport. At the same time, all the ground vehicles can access on-site charging. A digital app-based platform is being developed to facilitate door-to-door travel.

Hyundai Motor Group will work with Urban-Air Port to develop 65 sites in key locations across the US, UK, EU and Asia Pacific. Hyundai is developing its own eVTOL vehicle, in tandem with helping create the supporting ecosystem, and plans for it to enter service in 2028.

"Urban-Air Port is not only working with the world's leading developers of eVTOLs, but also developing the full ecosystem to enable air mobility to take flight by building strategic partnerships with major mobility and industry partners across the world,” says Urban-Air Port founder and executive chairman Ricky Sandhu. “This collaboration with Munich Airport International allows us to jointly develop our expertise in airport development and operations. Moreover, we can lay the foundations for a globally integrated urban air transport network. Together, we strive to play a major role in shaping the future of urban air mobility and to equip and adapt the aviation industry to meet the needs of the coming decades.”