A network of flying taxi centers is planned to be established in 65 cities as part of a partnership between the infrastructure company Urban-Air Port and South Korean automaker Hyundai, which is developing a vertical takeoff and landing vehicle. The two companies announced in a statement on Thursday that the planned bases will be located in the UK, the USA, France, Germany, the Scandinavian countries, Australia, South Korea, and Southeast Asia. The first site is scheduled to open in Coventry, England, in early 2022.
Urban-Air Port claims to be the only company focusing exclusively on building networks to operate flying taxis and autonomous cargo drones. Only $150 million has been spent on physical infrastructure this year, compared to $5 billion invested in electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft themselves by startups like Joby Aviation and Lilium GmbH.
Ricky Sandhu, founder and CEO of Urban-Air Port, stated in the announcement, “The sector is on the rise, and we know that the future of electric flying vehicles and drones in cities will soon be a reality, but it cannot happen without the infrastructure on the ground and in the air.”
**New Stations**
A spokesperson for the UK-based company clarified that after Coventry, the next locations planned for operation will be in another city in central England and one in Los Angeles. Additionally, the London center will be located in either the retail area of the West End or the financial City center. Urban-Air Port plans to create a network of over 200 electric air mobility facilities worldwide in the next five years. The centers will be standardized and designed to fit both dense urban areas and remote locations, where charging will be provided using hydrogen fuel cells.
The Coventry base, to be named Air-One, will host drones from Malloy Aeronautics and SkyFarer for aeronautics, to prove its capability to transport goods such as refrigerated medical supplies. Meanwhile, Safeguard Vertiports will work on developing a certification program based on the standards set by the UK.
