Skyports Infrastructure partners with Unified Aviation

Skyports Infrastructure has partnered with Unified Aviation to support its global rollout of vertiport infrastructure.

The agreement enables Skyports to deploy “take-off and landing infrastructure” where and when needed, using Unified’s prefabricated, modular technology, known as modular environmentally sustainable helipads (MESH). Quick and relatively simple to construct, MESH have power, solar charging, lighting, safety, drainage and fire suppression features integrated into the design.

The companies will demonstrate the solution at Unified Aviation’s Dubai South location, which will double as an operations staff training facility. The technology will then be rolled out globally with various use cases, including ground and floating options.

Mark Trotter, MD, Unified Aviation, said: “Our MESH system has been designed with the future in mind. It can cater for today’s helicopters and the future AAM ecosystem, enabling hybrid operations where needed. Our partnership with Skyports will help expand and further establish this innovative system going forward. MESH is built with sustainability in mind, using sustainable materials and the modular nature creates an excellent flexible and rapidly deployable solution.”  

Skyports’ principal vertiports will be situated at major hubs such as airports and metro stations. These will include facilities such as passenger terminal, charging infrastructure and MRO. The wider network will then be augmented by peripheral landing sites in suburban, lower throughput or short-term demand locations, for which Skyports will deploy the MESH system.

Duncan Walker, CEO, Skyports, said: “Scalable, flexible, and rapidly deployable vertiport infrastructure is critically important to accelerating AAM service roll-out, particularly in the early years of the industry. Our partnership with Unified Aviation brings specialised expertise in integrated heliport and vertiport design and training to reduce time to market and provide cost-effective, pre-certified landing sites. Our Agile Vertiport Network strategy solves some of the complex considerations when developing AAM networks, providing the vertiport solutions for any given location.”