Construction News - Tiya Thomas-Alexander
Sir Robert McAlpine has begun work on a 'world first' airport for drones and vertical take-off vehicles in Coventry.
The project called Air One has been developed by Urban-Air Port (UAP), a start-up that plans to build hubs for drones and other small vertical take-off vehicles.
Construction will include a steel frame dome with a 46 metre diameter that will be covered with tensile fabric. Other work includes the building of an air-taxi passenger lounge space, a control office, logistics area and a disaster management and security area. UAP has claimed it will be the world’s first fully operational hub for future electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Air One is being funded by £1.2m government grant by UK Research and Innovation's Future Flight Challenge. The grant has been matched by South Korean firm Hyundai’s Supernal flying car division, which recently bought a minority stake in UAP.
