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.”

We are absolutely thrilled to get Urban-Air Port’s Air One on site. This marks a unique and transformative moment where the UK positions itself as the world’s leading player in advanced air mobility. Our technology will enable Coventry and other cities around the country and the world to decarbonise by enabling safe adoption of cleaner mobility solutions. We are grateful to our partners, investors and the UK Government for adopting our vision and now making advanced air mobility a viable and sustainable reality.
Ricky Sandhu Founder & Executive Chairman of Urban-Air Port

Professor Stewart Birrell, Professor of Human Factors for Future Transport at Coventry University’s National Transport Design Centre, said:

“We are delighted to be teaming up with Urban-Air Port and Coventry City Council to help facilitate this hugely exciting and innovative future transport project. The chance to utilise our expertise and research knowledge in user-centred design to help shape this forward-thinking development is one we have relished, and the anticipation and excitement will now continue to grow as we watch how the site progresses and comes to life in the coming weeks.”

The Air One site is positioned centrally within an area that is home to approx. 400,000 people living and working.

With proximity to Coventry train station and intermodal transport links it has been identified as a perfect test bed location for this new form of technology. From April 28th to 15th May 2022, Air One will be open to the public, with tours provided by the Urban-Air Port team.

Watch out for updates on the UAP website: www.urbanairport.com

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