World's first cargo drone 'airport' opens in UK
The prospect of fleet managers using flying drones for last mile deliveries has taken a significant step forward with the opening of the world’s first hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, such as autonomous cargo drones and air taxis.
Called Air-One, the site in Coventry, UK: “will revolutionise the way people and goods travel across the nation,” according to Robert Courts, UK Minister for Aviation.
The ‘verti-port’ will host demonstrator flights, with Malloy Aeronautics launching flights of large cargo drones, while the local police force will launch drones for surveillance. Over a trial period of at least one month, Air-One will demonstrate aircraft command and control, provide cargo loading for unmanned drones, and deliver eVTOL charging.
The site will also include charging infrastructure for other electric vehicles to become a hub of low carbon transport.
Ricky Sandhu, Founder and Executive Chairman of Urban-Air Port, the developer of Air-One, said the opening of the verti-port signalled the starting gun for a new age of transport: “An age of zero-emission, congestion-free travel between and within cities that will make people healthier, happier and more connected than ever before. Cars have roads. Trains have rails. Planes have airports. Now, eVTOLs have an Urban-Air Port.”
Urban-Air Port plans to develop 200 similar sites worldwide in the next five years, with vertiports already planned in the UK, US, Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia and South East Asia. By building ground infrastructure for sustainable air mobility, the company says it will create a zero-emission-mobility ecosystem that will cut congestion and air pollution from passenger and cargo transport.
Dr. Ralf Gaffal, Managing Director at Munich Airport International, said: “We see enormous potential in this new, immensely versatile mode of transportation. Partnering with Urban-Air Port has allowed us to join forces in designing, implementing and operating scalable and sustainable vertiports around the world.”
