Airport group to develop vertiports with eVTOL rivals

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Corporacion America Airports (CAA) is working with rival eVTOL aircraft developers, Eve and Vertical Aerospace, on plans to develop a network of vertiports in Latin America and Europe. 

The private airports group said it has been working on conceptual designs for eVTOL air taxi operating bases for the past year and thinks some of these could be located its chain of 53 airports in countries, including Argentina, Italy, and Brazil.

Under the partnership with Vertical, CAA is also working with a some of Vertical’s customers  including leasing group Avolon and Brazilian airline, Gol. The partnership will explore vertiport design and locations, as well as further infrastructure requirements for eVTOL operations in Brazil.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Vertical, commented: “I’m delighted that Vertical is partnering with Avolon, GOL, Grupo Comporte and CAAP to deliver critical eVTOL infrastructure in Brazil. It was in Brazil that I had the inspiration to begin Vertical Aerospace so it is incredible to see it becoming a reality there.”

The collaboration with Eve was actually inked back in December 2021. It outlines a focus to design and integrate a service and support ecosystem for UAM operations in Europe and Latin America. Eve recently completed UAM trial operations with helicopters and used these as a basis for a proposed concept of operations.

Andre Stein, co-CEO, Eve said: “The UAM ecosystem includes ground infrastructures and operations, airports, and integration of different transportation modes. The partnership with CAA will allow us to create and implement these concepts, in line with regulatory authorities’ requirements, in different communities in Latin America and Europe supported by Corporación América Airports. Our dedication to enabling a global UAM ecosystem makes Eve a trusted partner in this collaboration.”

Martin Eurnekian, CEO of CAA, said: “The next five years will probably be decisive in how we move from and through cities, and aviation will play a leading role again. CAA has always been at the forefront of air transport services and now wants to be a key player in the UAM segment, identifying the challenges and opportunities for better operational, infrastructural and secure contexts. We want to lead the development of the UAM ecosystem, allowing mobility in the third dimension accessible to all, in a more sustainable transportation mode.”

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