Of these planned projects, 366 have been contracted to named suppliers. But not all these plans will come to fruition. The lengthy and complex process of developing aviation facilities in areas which, until now, have been used very different purposes, plus failures among eVTOL OEMs and regulatory blockages will mean the most likely number of vertiports in operation around the world by the end of 2028 will be closer to 620. This is still a huge figure, given that this year it is likely that just 24 vertiports will be completed globally. In China, the first vertiport foundations are being dug for networks of vertiports throughout the country to meet the expectations of the central government’s low altitude economic strategy. Over 100 vertiports are planned to be built in Guangdong province by 2027 alone.
In legacy aerospace industry regions such as Europe and North America there is a broad 50:50 per cent split between urban and aviation-based locations; elsewhere in the world the demand for vertiports is overwhelmingly in city centres or on waterfront locations.
There are also major geographical variations in the type and costs for construction and outfitting. For example, in Australasia, a high percentage of first generation vertiports will be airport based and of modular, low-cost designs; while in the Middle East the developments planned are more extensive and complex, with several major hubs planned which include multiple landing and take-off areas.
Over the last 12 months there has been an important move in the industry to develop new low-cost, modular vertiport concepts, with companies offering entry-level concepts from just USD108,000. In many parts of the world central government is investing heavily in first generation vertiport infrastructure. Japan’s transport ministry is subsidizing the construction costs of the country’s first vertiports built by local governments and private companies. The ministry will cover up to 50% of construction expenses, with a cap of ¥50 million (USD313,500) per site.
There are now 100 vertiports either actively planned or inferred for development from eVTOL operator route network announcements in the USA. Most recently, there has been a flurry of competing AAM networks announced in the San Francisco Bay area; whether the facilities they plan to build will be for general use, or particular to their own networks, is not yet clear.
In Western Europe, the plethora of local authority byelaws around converting building use or developing new structures will make the development of city centre vertiports extremely complex and costly. Turkey, meanwhile, has an ambitious, near term vertiport construction programme under way.
If you want to know more about the report or discuss the results of our research in more detail please contact the author of the report at Philip@unmannedairspace.info.
For more information
The global vertiport market map and forecast 2024-2028
(Image: Shutterstock)