Munich Airport International partners with Urban-Air Port®: Collaboration for design and operation of take-off and landing infrastructure for eVTOL air taxis.
Impression of Urban-Air Port hangar. Image Copyright © Urban-Air Port Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
MUNICH – October 13, 2021 – Munich Airport International GmbH (MAI) and Urban-Air Port® Ltd (UAP), announced today that they will collaborate in developing eVTOL ground infrastructure and airport operations that facilitate the vertical take-off and landing of electric air taxis expected to be operational by the middle of the decade. Coupling MAI's world leading airport knowledge and operational experience with UAP's innovative ground infrastructure technology and solutions, the partners will provide a roadmap for efficient and sustainable flight operations.
Urban-Air Port® is currently deploying its “Air One” programme – a fully operational and integrated airport for drones and eVTOL that interlinks air mobility with ground transportation in a multimodal hub. Air One will be located in a downtown setting and first be presented to the industry and the general public in Coventry, United Kingdom in Spring 2022. The goal is to demonstrate an ultra-compact, rapidly deployable, multi-functional operations hub for manned and unmanned vehicles providing aircraft command and control, charging and refueling, cargo and passenger loading and other associated services.
The collaboration will see MAI bring both its aviation and non-aviation expertise to the planning, development and operation of Air One, creating critical synergies for the successful introduction and operation of urban-air ports.
“The aviation industry is constantly evolving. While Urban Air Mobility was a vague vision just a few years ago, this trend is within reach today. We as Munich Airport International see great potential in this new mode of transportation and have developed an advanced air mobility program to actively shape the future. Partnering with Urban-Air Port® allows us to join forces in designing, implementing and operating scalable and sustainable urban-air ports around the world.”
Besides the “Air One” programme, both parties will collaborate on longer term projects and opportunities, with an initial focus on use cases and markets which are expected to emerge in the next couple of years.
Uniquely, Urban-Air Port is designed as an integrated hub for all sustainable transport, including drones, eVTOLs, electric vehicles (EVs), buses or scooters, ensuring an integrated approach to the decarbonisation of cities. Cargo and passengers can be safely and quickly loaded and unloaded, integrating seamlessly with onward transport. At the same time, EVs, buses and scooters can access on-site charging. Urban-Air Port is also developing a digital app-based platform to enable seamless door-to-door travel.
Hyundai Motor Group will work with Urban-Air Port to develop 65 sites in key locations across the US, UK, EU and Asia Pacific. The partnership represents a statement of confidence in the ability of the UK-based company to unlock the global market before 2030 and is an integral part of Hyundai Motor Group’s vision to provide smart mobility solutions for the changing world. The Group is developing its own eVTOL vehicle, in tandem with helping create the supporting ecosystem, and plans to enter service in 2028.
“Urban-Air Port® is not only working with the world’s leading developers of eVTOLs, but also developing the full ecosystem to enable air mobility to take flight by building strategic partnerships with major mobility and industry partners across the world. This collaboration with Munich Airport International, the ‘5-Star Standard’ in airport operations allows us to jointly develop our expertise in airport development and operations. Moreover, we can lay the foundations for a globally integrated urban air transport network. Together, we strive to play a major role in shaping the future of urban air mobility and to equip and adapt the aviation industry to meet the needs of the coming decades.”
Notes to editors
About Munich Airport and Munich Airport International
Founded in 1949, Flughafen München GmbH (FMG) operates Munich Airport and is jointly owned by the Free State of Bavaria (51 percent), the Federal Republic of Germany (26 percent) and the city of Munich (23 percent). With 22 subsidiaries and affiliated companies, FMG employs around 10,000 people across the Group. After starting operations at its current location in May 1992, Munich Airport developed into one of the most important air transportation hubs and firmly established itself among Europe’s ten busiest airports. In 2019, it served over 250 destinations worldwide and handled around 417,000 flights with 47.9 million passengers. Bavaria's gateway to the world was the first – and to date remains the only – airport in Europe to be awarded five stars by the London-based Skytrax Institute.
The wholly-owned subsidiary Munich Airport International (MAI) offers airport management, consulting and training services worldwide. Over the past 30 years MAI has evolved from being the leading ORAT service provider to a global airport operator. Today MAI is a trusted partner for smart money and ambitious airports throughout the world. With four subsidiaries and affiliated companies, MAI employs around 100 highly skilled experts globally and has a proven track record of more than 125 successfully delivered projects across more than 45 countries. MAI provides best practice solutions for the entire airport lifecycle, including bid advisory services for airport concessions, airport masterplan and design, operational readiness and airport transfer (ORAT), efficient and sustainable airport operations, optimization of aviation and non-aviation revenues, tailor-made training programs, as well as comprehensive airport management. Since early 2019, MAI is responsible for the operation, maintenance and concession management of Terminal A/One at Newark Liberty International Airport (USA).
For further information, please visit www.munich-airport.com/international
About Urban-Air Port®
Urban-Air Port® is a UK based start-up committed to designing, developing and manufacturing innovative zero-emission ground infrastructure for future Urban Air Mobility (UAM). Our mission is to remove the largest single constraint to sustainable air mobility, being the lack of infrastructure, and to significantly cut congestion and air pollution from passenger and cargo transport. Our design is an ultra-compact, multi-functional operations hub for manned and unmanned vehicles providing aircraft command & control, charging & refueling and cargo & passenger loading.
Further details can be found at: www.urbanairport.com
Contact: Lewis Evans, Head of Communications, Urban-Air Port® | lewis@urbanairport.com
About Air-One, Coventry
Urban-Air Port’s Air-One site – its world-first fully-operational hub for eVTOL aircraft – will be unveiled in Coventry City Centre in Spring 2022 to showcase how sustainable urban air mobility can reduce congestion, cut air pollution and decarbonise transport while providing seamless passenger journeys and deliveries.
Urban-Air Port® chose Coventry for the first site due to its important location in the heart of the UK and because it is a historic hub for the automobile and aerospace industry, with a pool of people and skills that can support the R&D and advanced manufacturing industries of the future.
