? WHAT ARE VERTIPORTS
According to EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, a Vertiport is „an area of land, water, or structure that is used or intended to be used for the landing, take-off, and movement of VTOL-capable aircraft. “
In short – Vertiport is a collective term for areas that are specially designed for AAM platform systems (i.e., electrically powered, vertical take-off and landing aircraft or eVTOLs).
They represent microscale airports that can be deployed or are close to urban areas or infrastructure and transport hubs. Vertiports are a decisive factor regarding the feasibility of AAM.
Within a network, Vertiports will be able to connect urban areas, including central business districts, with rural areas and major air transport hubs like international airports.
Potential advantages compared to existing modes of transport would be reduced travel times, increased connectivity, and supply of rural areas with little or insufficient infrastructure or areas that would require a major infrastructural development. Vertiports will become a crucial component of intermodal urban mobility to make air transportation feasible and affordable.
To be a meaningful part of the existing transport system, air taxis and vertiports need to be part of a bigger infrastructural strategy. Airborne transport systems would be considered to be complementary to the existing transport infrastructure.
A safety-based approach is required to demonstrate that risks have been identified and mitigated at all levels.
A vertiport within an urban environment must be developed with consideration of the changes and challenges that are currently forming our urban landscape in terms of the urban environment, infrastructural necessities, and mobility concepts and solutions.
A successful design needs to provide a sustainable solution that is carefully implemented within the existing urban fabric. Environmental protection initiatives, planning objectives to consider noise emissions, flight safety, and the local building code as well as a transparent design process that involves the community and the local authority are crucial for a successful design and integration process.
From UAM Vertiport: Demand Analysis v1.4, Drone Industry Insights, June 28th 2023
Further reading
ICAO Annex 14 Volume 2, Heliports1.
FAA EB105 “Interim guidance to airport owner-operators for the design of vertiports for eVTOL/VTOL operations” (06/2022)
EASA Prototype Technical Design Specifications for Vertiports (published 03/2022)