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VPorts, a Canada-based designer, developer and operator of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Airport to build and operate the first vertiport in Ras Al Khaimah.
The RAK vertiport, which will be established on a 10,000-square-metre (sqm) site, will be designed for all types of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, the company said in a statement.
VPorts’ initial growth strategy is based on the regional transportation of goods, tourism and the efficient movement of patients, organs for transplants and medical equipment. The vertiports will be opened for all eVTOLs manufacturers.
“This project will enable all AAM partners to accelerate the adoption and deployment of advanced air mobility in RAK and throughout the UAE,” said Fethi Chebil, President and Founder of VPorts.
Ralf Schustereder, CEO, Ras Al-Khaimah Airport, stated that the project will position RAK Airport as part of a development plan and key player in advanced air mobility in RAK.
VPorts plans to extend its vertiport network to all major industrial areas across the UAE and will focus on locations in Ras Al-Khaimah, Dubai South, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
In December 2022, VPorts signed a 25-year exclusive lease agreement with the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH), renewable for additional 25 years, to establish an AAM integrator centre on a 37,000-sqm site within Dubai South.
Development and construction of the centre will start in 2023, with operations and first flight test planned in 2024.
Japan-based manufacturer of eVTOL vehicles SkyDrive, VPorts and Air Traffic Management signed on March 15 an initial set of agreements for business and technical collaboration to leverage the world’s first AAM Integrator World Centre in Dubai.
(Writing by P Deol; Editing by Anoop Menon)
