Vertiport integration - piloting the rise of an air transport phenomenon

Following on from an earlier CAPA - Centre for Aviation report on the evolution of Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft (eVTOLs), this report looks at the supporting 'airport' infrastructure for this new and rapidly part of the air transport business - the vertiport.

A vertiport need not be at an airport; it can be on top of a skyscraper in downtown Manhattan, or on the roof of a commercial building on a trading estate in any industrial city - replicating an earlier trend towards helicopter operations in some places, while creating entirely new markets in others.

It is no coincidence that the premier manufacturing hub for eVTOLs and for vertiport infrastructure is the Chinese city of Shenzhen, regarded as 'China's Silicon Valley'.

Notable operational facilities are already in use across the world, and major airport operators like Groupe ADP, Fraport and Corporación América Airports are either co-operating with Urban Air Mobility manufacturers or going it alone to ensure that scheduled commercial airports do not miss out on the opportunity to play their part in this potential new revenue stream.

The investment figures that are common to the conversation on vertiports have risen dramatically, from millions of dollars to billions, with 1,500 of them at the planning stage globally.

However, there is often a disconnect between planning and reality.

As with eVTOLs, not all the investors are yet convinced, and they won't be until there are regular flights in operation that are clearly making money.

And there are a few technical issues to deal with that question the viability of operations in some circumstances.