Skyports and Bicester Motion to build UK’s first vertiport testbed
Bicester Motion in Oxfordshire is set to host the UK’s first vertiport testbed for the air taxi industry on its 444-acre estate.
The firm has signed an agreement with Skyports, which builds infrastructure for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft.
Together they’re planning to deliver a compact 160 sq m passenger terminal, laying the groundwork for a new generation of electric, low-noise aviation in the UK.
The new vertiport is set to feature passenger processing facilities – including access control gates, weight and balance optimisation, and identity validation, verification and screening – as well as a passenger lounge and operations room kitted out with Skyports’ own tech.
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It will be situated alongside Bicester Motion’s existing grass runways for general aviation.
Skyports has submitted the design – which takes inspiration from the company’s existing testbeds in Paris and California – to Cherwell District Council.
It’s looking to open the site to the public by the end of 2024.
Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, said: “Our vertiport at Bicester Motion is ideally located to serve as a central hub for the UK’s advanced air mobility industry.
“The facility will be employed by Skyports and our strategic partners to test and refine all aspects of our ground technology and operations within a UK context.
“This will also be a key location for early demonstration flights in the UK and will help to pave the way for permanent operations in the future.”
The vertiport comes as part of the government-funded Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium with backing from Innovate UK’s Future Flight Challenge.
Once complete, it’s expected to host demonstration flights by Vertical Aerospace, which is currently developing one of the world’s most advanced electric aircraft.
Daniel Geoghegan, chief executive of Bicester Motion, said: “Our agreement is a major step for UK aviation innovation.
“Partnering with such an innovative company as Skyports is not only a significant boost to Oxfordshire’s aviation cluster, but also will facilitate the development and accessibility to a new sustainable, low-carbon and futuristic mode of transport across the world.
“This news reflects the next chapter in Bicester Motion’s evolution of aviation and presents the opportunity for Bicester and the county to be at the forefront of this exciting pioneering industry.
“We have already had successful specialist drone flight testing from the airfield and these eVTOLs will use electric power to hover, take off, and land vertically meaning that noise is to a minimum and pioneering sustainable flight and travel are nearer a reality.”
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