Sir Robert McAlpine has begun construction of Urban-Air Port Ltd (UAP)'s Air One in Coventry, a world-first airport for drones and vertical take-off vehicles.
The UAP team met on Friday 4th February and were joined by Coventry City Council representatives together with the Sir Robert McAlpine project team.
Construction of the vertiport which will be the world’s first fully-operational hub for future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft will be completed in time for an industry launch event which will run from 25-27 April. The event will extend to demonstrations for the public, running from 28 April to 15 May.
Councillor O’Boyle was amongst the guests who said:
“This is yet another way that Coventry is leading the way when it comes to transport innovation. We are right at the front of the green industrial revolution, and this is a brilliant world first. We’re pleased to be working with our partners at Urban-Air Port to showcase this breakthrough system, which in the near future could help to boost productivity in our towns and cities as well as supporting climate change efforts by taking vehicles off the roads.
“Any company looking to really innovate in this transport revolution should look to work in Coventry - whether it’s Air One, a Gigafactory or Coventry Very Light Rail, Coventry is the best place, with the best skills to collaborate with. “One of the best things about Air One is that local schools will be able to visit, look round, and be inspired for what they can achieve.”