The Future of the Urban-Air Port Industry

In fact, according to Zanelli, the link between the automotive and sustainable aviation industries is closer than one might think.

“That’s what all the automotive manufacturers are moving in, whether overtly like Hyundai or less openly like Toyota with Joby [Aviation] and the German automakers with German eVTOL manufacturers.”

What’s more, the range of companies active in the space is another encouraging sign for Zanelli and Urban-Air Port.

“Ricky Sandhu, our founder, was on a panel yesterday and he was seated in the middle of Joby, the most well-funded private eVTOL company, Eve, which is a spin-out of Embraer, Vertical, which is very well-funded and very well-supported by the UK aerospace industry, and then Supernal on the end, with Hyundai backing,” says Zanelli.

“So, there’s a huge amount of support for these top-tier players. And you could add a bunch of others there like Lilium, Volocopter, and Wisk. So, all these people are in this market and pushing ahead and that is obviously key for us.”

However, Zanelli is keen to point out that, despite the money being thrown at eVTOL startups by automotive companies, venture capitalists, and others besides, success is not guaranteed for anyone.

“We think that there could very well be consolidation in the market, but probably not at this stage. A lot of the funding has been done and now people are running against the clock to certification. Then we will probably see a round of consolidation around that point. But it’s certainly good news for us at this time,” says Zanelli.

The eVTOL market is still in its early days and the chicken-and-egg style problem of aircraft and infrastructure hasn’t been completely solved. But, in Urban-Air Port, it’s clear that the nascent eVTOL manufacturers have a partner that is ready and willing to provide the support they need.