In Coventry, England, the American corporation (UAP) aims to establish the world’s first “loft port” for flying taxis and delivery drones.
The Air One plant is being created in Coventry as part of a partnership with Hyundai, a South Korean carmaker.
Supporters of Heavenly Harbor stated the small airport would host electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and eVTOLs, such as air taxis and self-driving delivery drones, in the coming years to carry people and products across cities.
West Midlands Police also met with the government-backed company Urban-Air Port Limited (UAP) to discuss how these facilities could be used as bases for “sky-setting” drones in the future.
According to the UAP, construction will be completed in time for the industrial launch event, which will take place from April 25 to 27, with public demonstrations following immediately. Police will also demonstrate how they use drones.
Heavenly Harbor is now located in an abandoned car park near Central Six Retail Park and the city’s railway station, where the air port was originally scheduled to be erected adjacent to the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Jim O’Boyle, a member of the Coventry City Council, said the commencement of construction demonstrated the city was “leading the way” in terms of transportation innovation.
He said, “We are at the vanguard of the green industrial revolution, and this is a great first world.”
The “supersystem,” according to O’Boyle, may enhance productivity in British towns and cities while also aiding efforts to combat climate change by removing vehicles from the road.
The finished site will include a dome-shaped steel structure with tensile fabric wrapping, measuring 46 meters (150 feet) in diameter.
Ricky Sandow, the founder and CEO of UAP and a Birmingham native, said he was “delighted” to start construction, calling it a “unique and transformative moment” that will place the UK as “the world’s leading player in advanced air mobility.”
“By facilitating the safe adoption of cleaner mobility alternatives, our technology will enable Coventry and other cities around the country and the world to decarbonize,” he continued.
Sandow said working with West Midlands Police, who will use the building as a disaster emergency management center, was an honor.