Dive Brief:
AECOM and Ferrovial have announced that they partnered to design a vertiport network connecting major Florida cities. Vertiports provide the landing, recharging and departure infrastructure necessary to accommodate electric aircraft that take off and land vertically.
AECOM joins Ferrovial and its partner Lilium, a Germany-based aviation company that's developing an emissions-free, regional air mobility service. Elisabeth Bernitt, senior vice president and managing principal with AECOM's Building + Places business, said the vertiports will incorporate "flexible and modular elements" to create a space that can be scaled for growth.
The vertiport infrastructure design, according to AECOM, will focus on sustainability, efficiency and natural elements. In addition, the airfield design will include noise abatement materials and surfaces to reduce the ultra-low noise emissions from the eVTOL jets. And the vertiport terminal buildings will offer user-friendly and touchless features.