Skyports Infrastructure completes build of UK’s first vertiport
March 26, 2025
The build phase of the UK’s first vertiport has recently been completed at Oxfordshire’s Bicester Motion, with developer Skyports Infrastructure now gearing up for the operational testing phase.
Located adjacent to Bicester Motion’s existing grass runway, the facility includes a 160 square foot passenger terminal and aircraft landing site situated on a 0.42 acre plot. It is being developed as part of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium, backed by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge.
“This project exemplifies Skyports’ continued drive to develop an Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem in the UK, strategically located near Bicester Village,” commented Skyports, which described the completion of the vertiport as “a significant moment”.
The build was completed three months after ground was broken in December 2024, with a Bicester spokesperson confirming at the time that the testbed will “serve as a key role for the Consortium’s wider testing programme, including demonstration flights, ground operations, aircraft integration, and public and stakeholder engagement”.
The facility is expected to launch with an inauguration event, with UK eVTOL developer Vertical Aerospace also intending to perform demonstration flights. “Facilities like this are essential for enabling the seamless integration of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft into our airspace and helping people better understand the benefits they bring,” explained Vertical Aerospace chief commercial and strategy officer Michael Cervenka. Congratulating Skyports Infrastructure, Vertical Aerospace added that it “can’t wait to bring the VX4 to Bicester!”.
Elsewhere in the world, Skyports and Groupe ADP launched a European vertiport terminal testbed in November 2022, with Skyports also developing a ‘living lab’ passenger terminal with US-based Joby Aviation. Its first commercial vertiport in the UAE also received technical design approval from the United Arab Emirates’ General Civil Aviation Authority earlier this year.
Other Consortium partners include AtkinsRéalis, Virgin Atlantic and NATS, along with Connected Places Catapult and academic institutions Cranfield University and WMG, University of Warwick.
