Ferrovial is moving forward in its efforts to become a leading player in the booming air taxi business. The company led by Rafael del Pino and Ignacio Madridejos has just entered into an alliance with the British company Milligan to promote this activity in the UK with the development of the country’s first vertiport. This group from Spain and now based in the Netherlands has an initial roadmap to enter this region in the United States, England and Spain.
Ferrovial and Milligan have worked together to identify and develop urban regional mobility operations locations in the UK. Both companies will collaborate with the giant American engineering company Aecom and British company Lichfieldswho acts as planning advisor.
The multinational has already sealed other alliances in this area with Eve, Lilium or Vertical
Ferrovial, which develops these activities through its Airports division, is able to take a new step in its plans to design, build and operate vertiports in the UK with this alliance. Through this collaboration, partners will identify locations with high demand, will select potential locations and conduct evaluation criteria to determine the suitability of each location for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations. The deal aims to improve connectivity of cities and towns across the UK.
In 2021, Ferrovial announced its intention to spread the network beyond 25 vertiports in the UK. Previously, plans were also revealed to develop a network of more than 10 vertiports in Florida (United States). To develop the design and engineering components of the vertiport, Ferrovial partnered two years ago with international architecture studio Grimshaw and international engineering, management and development consultancy Mott MacDonald.
The Dutch multinational has signed an agreement in 2021 with British Vertical Aerospace to promote vertiport activities and last April an alliance with Air Mobility, a developer of software for urban air traffic management controlled by Embraer and owned by Acciona (with 1.14% of Eve Holding’s capital), to jointly manage the operation of vertiports and electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Ferrovial also has a strategic agreement with American aircraft manufacturer Lilium, which also has a minority stake in its capital.
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