Air-One demonstration drone port opens in Coventry

Urban-Air Port, the British developer of ground infrastructure for air taxis and autonomous delivery drones, has opened ‘Air-One’ in Coventry, a world-first demonstration of a fully-operational hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.

Air-One – backed by the UK Government and supported by Hyundai’s Supernal – will provide a blueprint for more than 200 vertiports planned worldwide by Urban-Air Port over the next five years.

It will demonstrate aircraft command and control, eVTOL charging, cargo loading for unmanned drones, and host demonstrator flights.

West Midlands Police and Skyfarer will be among the first to operate flights from the site, showcasing how vertiports can provide drone bases for ‘sky protection’ and high-value cargo deliveries “in the near future”. Flights of large cargo drones will also be demonstrated by UK-based drone developer, Malloy Aeronautics.

Drone demonstrations will be conducted throughout Air-One’s one-month stay at Westminster Car Park, in the centre of Coventry. Members of the public interested in attending can sign up for tickets at www.urbanairport.com/aironeeven

Ricky Sandhu, Founder and Executive Chairman of Urban-Air Port says, “The opening of Air-One is a momentous moment – 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.”

Mike Whitaker, Chief Commercial Officer of Supernal, comments, “Air-One serves as a valuable, tangible asset to helping build stakeholder confidence and trust in emerging mobility technology and supporting systems. The Coventry demonstration is an important first step forward to reimagining how people across the world will move, connect and live. 

“Developing a scalable system to support advanced air mobility operations requires collaboration from all industries and corners of the world. Supernal’s support of Urban-Air Port reinforces our belief in fusing technology and innovation to enable humanity and society to reach new levels of potential.”