Ferrovial, the largest shareholder of London鈥檚 Heathrow Airport, is positioning itself at the front hand of what is being touted as a revolution in short-haul air travel 鈥� developing infrastructure for high-speed, zero carbon aviation.
To develop the design and engineering components of vertiport infrastructure, Ferrovial has partnered with architecture practice Grimshaw and consulting engineer Mott MacDonald.
News of Ferrovial鈥檚 plans for vertiports in the UK follows its recent deal to develop a network of more than 10 vertiports in Florida in the USA.
Vertiports provide infrastructure for landing, recharging, and taking off passengers of all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet aircrafts, such as those being developed by and . The vision is that they will be 鈥渋ntegrated into communities and adapted to the surrounding environment, reducing noise impact and improving energy efficiency through innovative design鈥�.
鈥淭he partnership between vertiports and eVTOLs will provide high speed, affordable, emissions-free travel to millions of people,鈥� said Kevin Cox, chief executive of Ferrovial Airports鈥� vertiports business. 鈥淭his network will boost local economies with a new model of regional connectivity.鈥�
The Spanish construction group operates 33 airports around the world. It has stakes in four airports in the United Kingdom, including a 25% share of Heathrow Airport.
Ferrovial鈥檚 UK vertiports would host operations of the Lilium seven-seater electric jets and/or Vertical Aerospace鈥檚 piloted four passenger aircraft, the VA-X4, to operate from these sites for the proposed launch of its UK services with Virgin Atlantic.
Vertical Aerospace said that it would work with Ferrovial to locate and design a network of UK vertiports.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, chief executive and founder of Vertical Aerospace, said 鈥淥ur partnership with Ferrovial is an important step forward in bringing the VA-X4 to the skies. Creating the right infrastructure for zero emissions aviation is a critical part in making Urban Air Mobility a reality. I look forward to flying between Ferrovial鈥檚 vertiports in the VA-X4 in just a few years鈥� time.鈥�
聽In January 2021 Ferrovial announced plans to develop a vertiport network with Lilium in the USA. They signed a framework agreement to develop a network of at least 10 vertiports across Florida.
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
