Air Taxi Venture Plans Service for Italy

Vertiport developer Skyports Infrastructure is partnering with the owner of Milan’s airports to establish the advanced air mobility (AAM) ecosystem in Italy.

Skyports, Milan airport owner SEA Milan and 2i Aeroporti, an Italian airport infrastructure investment company, have teamed to form a joint venture company called Vega, for vertical gateway.

The new company aims to pave the way for the introduction of flying taxi services in Italy.

The first stated objective is to launch operations between Malpensa Airport and central Milan before scaling operations to other regions. 

“The formation of Vega is a significant milestone in Skyports’ mission to bring air taxi operations to northern Italy,” said Damian Kysely, director of Vega and head of EMEA at Skyports. “This joint venture underscores our commitment to building the infrastructure needed to make advanced air mobility a reality for Milan and Lombardy. With Vega, we’re not only developing efficient, low emission transport solutions for passengers and cargo, but also positioning the region as a leader in Europe’s AAM future.”

Skyports has been expanding globally, and recently signed a deal with Dubai public parking facilities company Parkin to provide parking facilities for vertiports.

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Related:Air Taxi Vertiport Parking Getting Set for Dubai

The parking facilities would support the expansion of air taxi services in Dubai across the Skyports Dubai network.

The deal the two companies signed gives Parkin the exclusive rights to operate and manage paid public services across Dubai with the shared goal of developing AAM across the country.

Skyports has also received planning permission for a 444-acre mobility center in Bicester, U.K., believed to be the first permanent U.K. vertiport infrastructure proposal to receive planning consent.

The facility would include a 1,700 square foot passenger terminal and a facility for testing ground and flight operations.

Skyports is partnering with electric aerial vehicle (EAV) maker Vertical Aerospace and plans to feature Vertical’s latest VX4 prototype, the first eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) vehicle to fly at the new vertiport.

Vertical Aerospace earlier this year received funding of $50 million from Stephen Fitzpatrick, the company founder and CEO.

Vertical is completing its second- generation, full-scale piloted VX4 prototype at GKN Aerospace’s Global Technology Center in the U.K. 

The EAV is designed to carry four passengers with a range of 100 miles.

Related:Flying Vehicle Company Gets $50M More Funding

There are other vertiports being planned around the world.

For example, Vertiport operator UrbanV and construction and technology infrastructure company Icad Holdings are working together to develop the infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the Mideast to support advanced air mobility (AAM).

The companies aim to establish a blueprint for vertiport operations and define a plan to operate vertiports in the Middle East.

UrbanV and Icad plan to jointly explore opportunities for projects in AAM and urban air mobility (UAM) across the region.

The infrastructure plan would include takeoff and landing procedures, technology integration and operation plans for vertiports and vertiport networks.

UrbanV plans and designs vertiports including route evaluations and interactions with regulators while Icad does construction, technology integration and operational management.

UrbanV is involved in other ventures in addition to the partnership with Icad.

For example, UrbanV teamed with EAV jet maker Lilium and airport management company Aeroports de la Cote d’Azur to bring Lilium electric jet flight to the South of France starting in 2026. 

The plan is to create a network to connect the French Riviera with Monaco, Nice, Cannes, Golfe de Saint-Tropez, Aix-en-Provence and Marseille.

The partners plan to establish and operate eVTOL vehicles within a network of vertiports including Nice Côte d’Azur airport, the second-largest airport in France, with Cannes Mandelieu Airport and Golfe de Saint-Tropez Airport.

For flying vehicles such as air taxis, vertiports are needed for takeoff and landings, passenger loading and unloading and charging and maintenance.

Numerous companies in Europe and the Middle East are involved in vertiport development along with companies in the U.S., such as Aeroauto Global in Florida.