UK's new space-age airport for 150mph-flying taxis that take off vertically
The company behind the project said trials set to be conducted at the new facility will be "instrumental to the future of quiet, electric, vertical flight".
The UK could soon boast one of the first ever permanent "vertiports" for 150-mph flying taxis, according to its developer.
Skyports Infrastructure has revealed plans to build the futuristic base in Bicester, Oxfordshire, with work set to begin this autumn.
The firm's CEO Duncan Walker said: "The tests and trials we conduct at this facility will be instrumental to the future of quiet, electric, vertical flight."
The vertiport will be built at the 444-acre Bicester Motion estate in the town, after Cherwell District Council approved planning permission for the project.
Though work has yet to begin on the site, concept images produced by Skyport suggest what the trailblazing innovation in travel could look like.
Passengers will wait for their rides in a 160-square-metre passenger terminal looking out on the landing pad, where flying taxis will arrive and depart vertically - meaning miles of runways aren't needed.
Softport's concept images feature the latest prototype of the VX4 by Vertical Aerospace, which is set to become the first electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle to operate from the base.
The VX4 uses ingenious tilt rotor configuration to switch from upwards facing helicopter-style propellers to forward facing ones like a conventional aircraft.
It has enough space for a pilot and four passengers with a range of up to 100 miles, according to the company.
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The culmination of months of hard work, the first tethered flight of our second prototype marked a special moment; moving from the manufacture and build of the aircraft to Phase 1 of our Flight Test Programme.#eVTOL #VX4 #aerospace pic.twitter.com/7YNRQU4Rkl
— Vertical Aerospace (@VerticalAero) August 7, 2024
Vertical Aerospace says in the future, a trip from Battersea to Heathrow could take just 12 minutes in the VX4.
Michael Cervenka, Chief Commercial & Technology Officer at Vertical Aerospace, said: "The Skyports vertiport is a critical piece of infrastructure, helping to get our VX4 aircraft up into the air and demonstrate to the world that the future of flight is electric.
"We're excited to see what the vertiport will look like as we move into an important phase of the industry – making this real.
"The tests we carry out here in Bicester with our VX4 will advance our understanding of electric aviation and revolutionise how we travel – paving the way for zero emissions, quiet flight," he added.
Skyports has not yet disclosed how much the project will cost, but the firm recently secured €103 million (£87m) in funding for constructing vertiports, and its drone business.
It comes after a 17,000ft temporary vertiport called Air-One opened in Coventry in 2022, which featured a passenger lounge, a cafe, electric and hydrogen air vehicle hangar, cargo loading, a command and control centre, and security screening.
Supported by the UK Government’s Future Flight Challenge programme, the base saw over 100 successful drone flight demonstrations in front of more than 15,000 people, including global firms, Whitehall officials, schools and academia, and the general public.