Urban-Air Port and eVTOL developer Supernal yesterday unveiled in the UK a fully functional example of a “multimodal infrastructure hub” to support eVTOL and drone operations. The Air-One facility—installed at the heart of the English city of Coventry—will be open for viewing by the general public from April 28 through May 15.
The partners intend to move the Air-One unit to other cities worldwide as part of an ongoing campaign to increase understanding of advanced air mobility. The 17,000-sq-ft structure, which took 11 weeks to assemble, is divided into zones, including a fully equipped passenger lounge, café, pop-up retail store, cargo logistics hub, aircraft recharging facilities, and hangar. It also has security screening equipment and a command-and-control center for flight operations.
The display in Coventry also features a mockup of the four-passenger SA-1 eVTOL that Supernal aims to have ready to start commercial services by 2028. The U.S.-based company is a subsidiary of South Korean automaker Hyundai.
Supernal started working with Urban-Air Port in 2020. The hopeful eVTOL manufacturer also has partnerships with the cities of Miami and Los Angeles to develop plans for advanced air mobility services.
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at FutureFlight.aero, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.