Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority has released draft guidelines for the construction of vertiports to service electric air taxi networks. This draft will provide guidance for site selection, physical characteristics and visual aids.

Together with recent announcements, including a federal $36 million fund to advance the industry and an industry roadmap released earlier this year, Skyportz believes it is now clear that Australia is preparing not only the skies but also the transport network infrastructure to enable this revolution in aviation.

Skyportz is the only vertiport infrastructure company in Australia. It has been working for four years to encourage the development of advanced air mobility policy at all levels of government, particularly in the space of essential vertiport infrastructure.

“We are really pleased about this announcement as it is sending a clear message to the world that we are open for business and we are seriously preparing the ecosystem to support advanced air mobility that will need our network of vertiports to fulfil its potential,” says CEO Clem Newton-Brown.

Skyportz has over 400 potential sites owned by property partners wanting to get a first mover advantage in this emerging industry. Earlier this year the company released a design for a vertiport at Caribbean Park, Melbourne in a collaboration with Contreras Earl Architecture, To70 Aviation and Arup.

“The key to this industry is breaking the nexus between aviation and existing airports. We need to develop a network of new vertiport sites if the industry is to reach its potential, and Skyportz is readying the landscape to partner with infrastructure investors,” continues Newton-Brown. “These new guidelines will help us to fine tune our design and will give our property partners the confidence to invest in vertiport infrastructure in advance of the aircraft starting to operate.”

Skyportz has been looking closely at Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane as potential early markets for advanced air mobility.

“We can now further advance our assessments and make a decision as to where we will locate our first network of vertiports,” he says.