Cherwell District Council has awarding planning permission for the site, making the Bicester development the first permanent UK vertiport infrastructure proposal to secure planning consent.
The images show the vertiport adjacent to Bicester Motion’s existing general aviation grass runways. It will include a compact 160m2 passenger terminal. According to the partners, this will be a critical facility for testing ground infrastructure and flight operations and will play a significant role in enabling the next generation of electric, low noise aviation in the UK.
The new designs showcase Vertical’s latest VX4 prototype, which will be the first electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to fly at the Skyports vertiport. The VX4 is designed to be piloted, carry four passengers and has a range of up to 100 miles. The aircraft successfully completed its first tethered piloted flight in July and is now progressing through its robust piloted test flight programme. Vertical will use the Skyports vertiport to conduct demonstration flights and test key procedures ahead of commercial launch.
The new renders also depict the interior of the vertiport, which will be equipped with Skyports’ proprietary vertiport technology solutions, including its resource management and scheduling system (RMSS) and its vertiport automation system (VAS).
The vertiport is being developed as part of the Advanced Mobility Ecosystem Consortium: a group of British aviation, technology and transportation organisations pioneering AAM in the UK, backed by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge. The vertiport will serve as a key node for the Consortium’s wider testing programme, including demonstration flights, ground operations, aircraft integration, and public and stakeholder engagement.
