“We believe Hyundai has the potential to build Uber air vehicles at rates unseen in the current aerospace industry, producing high-quality, reliable aircraft in large volumes to drive down passenger costs per trip. Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate, says: “Hyundai is our first vehicle partner with experience of manufacturing passenger cars on a global scale. Though Hyundai’s SA-1 will be used to carry cargo, it is also aimed at the passenger market and is being developed in partnership with Uber. Hyundai Motot Group is supporting development of Air-One as part of its plan to commercialise its aircraft by 2028 The S-A1 is what Hyundai calls a Personal Air Vehicle, which is similar in appearance to a small plane but with rotors rather than propellors to provide the lift and allow it to take off and land vertically. There is also backing from Hyundai, which is working on its own eVTOL aircraft that it expects to be airworthy and certified by 2028. Cargo drones are being supplied by UAP’s partner Malloy Aeronautics and its large cargo drones will be demonstrated at the Air One site. It does away with the need for a runway to save space and the design is also adaptable for use on building tops or on a floating platform for marine use.įor Coventry’s Air One, UAP has received £1.2m of grant funding from UK Research and Innovation’s Future Flight Challenge. Sandhu explains that the technology is centred around the UAP launch pad – a circular stand in the centre of the UAP that lowers down into the building for passengers or cargo to be loaded or unloaded.

VoloPort – the world’s first full-scale passenger air taxi vertiport – can be adapted to fit rooftops, train stations, parking lots and other urban locations “Air One’s capital expenditure is much lower and this enables us to access high-value locations with lower operating costs thanks to the modular design.’” “It’s an opportunity to rethink an airport and its capital expenditure costs,” says Sandhu. The company believes this is a one-stop solution and is unique as a ready-made offer.Īnother advantage of this airport configuration is reduced costs. The UAP design brings the whole airport together in one eVTOL package with operations, software, logistics, consumer interaction, aircraft suppliers, and those who operate the air corridor. This design makes the UAP ideal for other applications such as emergency zones or military use.” Our design is scaleable, so it can fit into a downtown location for fast transport turnarounds. “The UAP is also cleaner and quieter, allowing us to position one in areas that might otherwise be difficult to access. “They also need space for servicing and storage, whereas the UAP integrates landing and stands in close proximity, which will provide an enhanced experience for passengers. UAP founder and executive chairman Ricky Sandhu says: “A conventional heliport is not that small as rotor craft need a lot of space for safety, noise and emissions, which means a lot of distance between the heliport and surrounding buildings. The eVTOL element of this solution is vital to the Air One concept as it means the Urban Air Port (UAP) takes up less than half the space of an existing heliport. Sited next to the Ricoh Arena stadium, exhibition, event and conference centre in Coventry, the Urban Air Port Air One hub is a flat-pack terminal for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

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