Urban air mobility ground infrastructure developer Skyports this week raised £5.35 million ($6.9 million) through a Series A funding round. Most of the new capital has come from Deutsche Bahn Digital Ventures and Groupe ADP, as well as Levitate Capital, which had already provided seed investment when the UK-based company launched in January 2018.
Skyports intends to use the new funding to acquire more sites on which to build cargo and passenger vertiports to support operations by electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. In October, along with aircraft developer Volocopter, the company unveiled a mock-up for the VoloPort facility in the center of Singapore and this was used as the base for a flight demonstration of Volocopter’s VoloCity prototype aircraft.
According to Skyports, it has since had expressions of interest from commercial real estate owners in Singapore and other cities around the world. The company is also looking to build and operate multiple drone operating platforms in a variety of urban and rural environments.
“We are delighted to welcome strategic investors with a long-term vision for the company,” said Skyports CEO Duncan Walker. “Our investors bring expertise in mobility, infrastructure, and airport operations. Their significant balance sheets and strong leadership in their respective markets allow Skyports to consolidate its leading position in the industry in these early stages and through to permanent commercial operations in multiple markets.”
Germany’s Deutsche Bahn is Europe’s largest passenger and cargo railway operator. France’s Groupe ADP operates airports around the world, including Paris’s Charles de Gaulle, Orly, and Le Bourget. Both companies will be represented on the Skyports board.
“Vertical take-off and landing vehicles are a new expression of airport activity—infrastructure, vehicle handling, and passenger experience—and we are setting ourselves up to play a leading role in the development of urban air mobility in the Paris region and internationally through our 25 airports worldwide,” said Edward Arkwright, deputy chief executive officer of Groupe ADP.
Levitate Capital is a venture capital group focused on urban air mobility. Skyports has an option to seek a second round of Series A funding.
