Taking flight: The vital role of vertiports in a new era of urban air mobility

Cities all over the world grapple with the impact of traditional ground transportation, from pollution to noise to traffic congestion. However, these challenges may soon be in the rearview mirror with the emergence of urban air mobility (UAM) and the introduction of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft – or air taxis – which will revolutionize both urban and regional transportation.

These Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles will offer a fast and energy efficient way to navigate through crowded cities. They will also enable convenient access to remote communities that are hard to reach and expensive to service with traditional transportation.

For landing and take-off, eVTOLs  require vertiports – specialized facilities that provide the infrastructure for safer transport. This includes solutions for efficient passenger boarding, cargo handling, maintenance, battery charging, energy management, and safer and more secure operations. Since eVTOLs can take off and land vertically, they don’t need long runways. However, they still require specially designed vertiports to meet their unique landing and operational needs.

The four pillars of vertiport success

The vertiport market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming decade. According to recent research, the global vertiport market is projected to rise from $400 Million in 2023 to more than $10 Billion by 2032 at a CAGR of more than 40% ^[i] , enabling Urban Air Mobility to take off.

Mass adoption of UAM requires significant advances in technology, infrastructure and policy. Manufacturers, regulators, municipalities and technology companies are collaborating to advance the integration of vertiports into today’s transportation infrastructure.

The success of UAM and vertiports relies on four key pillars: safety and security, efficient operations, sustainability, and passenger experience. Let’s explore each of these pillars in more detail.

1: Safety and security

Vertiport safety requires new standards for essential procedures, such as the quick evacuation of passengers and personnel in the event of an emergency. It also requires effective fire and hazard management capabilities to tackle the unique risks associated with high-energy eVTOL batteries.

Equally important are air traffic management (ATM) standards, which are essential for facilitating the efficient flow of eVTOL traffic. The standards must address low-altitude airspace integration to prevent collisions with traditional aircraft. Additionally, the implementation of a traffic-management system for unmanned aircraft is needed to manage low-altitude airspace operations, particularly in urban environments.

2: Efficient operations

Efficient vertiport operations require standardization across several key areas. First, vertiport traffic management is crucial for scheduling, sequencing, and routing eVTOLs within the vertiport for landing and take-off. For autonomous eVTOLs, interoperability of navigation and obstacle-avoidance systems is essential for seamless communication among the stakeholders and to prevent conflicts in crowded airspace.

Charging infrastructure and energy management are also important to the functionality of vertiports. This involves developing universal charging ports, akin to those for electric vehicles, to establish compatibility across different eVTOL models. If battery swapping becomes a viable option, standardized protocols for swapping stations will be necessary to allow various aircraft to use the same energy infrastructure.

Integrating data from multiple stakeholders such as eVTOL flight schedules, departure and arrival times, airspace and flight corridor usage data, and real time weather conditions will help running efficient operations.

3: Sustainability

Vertiport operations should adhere to strict emissions and sustainability standards to minimize their environmental impact. The main energy demand at vertiports stems from charging eVTOLs. The goal should be to power vertiports – especially the charging stations – from renewable energy sources like solar, wind, or hydroelectric power instead of fossil fuels.

Vertiport construction should prioritize low-impact, sustainable materials and techniques to reduce environmental disruption. Sustainable design elements, such as rainwater harvesting, solar panels, energy optimization via building management systems, and efficient waste management systems, should be integrated. Additionally, noise-reduction measures, including sound-absorbing materials and strategically placed takeoff and landing pads, are essential for addressing the challenges of urban environments where many vertiports are located.

4: Passenger experience

Passenger experience at vertiports must be fast, highly efficient and seamless, exceeding the standards of current airport experiences. This involves implementing digital solutions for check-in, boarding and integration with other transportation modes to create a smooth end-to-end journey.

Vertiports will also prioritize enhancing passenger experience and luggage handling by streamlining check-in processes and tailoring security protocols to the unique aspects of eVTOL travel. Speed, convenience, and safety are critical factors in driving passenger adoption of UAM services.

The skies ahead

The success of vertiports relies on the integration of safety, technology, sustainability, and passenger experience. This approach positions vertiports as a key driver in shaping the future of air mobility, transforming the way we travel and unlocking new possibilities for urban transportation.

[i]Vertiports Market Size, Share & Growth Report - 2032

[ii] Prophesy, Global Urban Air Mobility Market Overview [Accessed October 3, 2024]