VPorts, a global leader in the design, construction and operation of advanced air mobility infrastructure, has signed an agreement with Ras Al Khaimah Airport for the construction and operation of the first-ever vertiport in the northern emirate.

VPorts, a global leader in the design, construction and operation of advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure, has signed an agreement with Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Airport for the construction and operation of the first vertiport in RAK designed to establish the UAE as a world-class global AAM hub.

The move is aimed at establishing the UAE as a world-class global AAM hub.

VPorts’ initial growth strategy is based on the regional transportation of goods, tourism and the efficient movement of patients, organs for transplants and medical equipment.

The RAK vertiport, which will be established on a 10,000-sq-m site, will be designed for all types of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. VPorts’s vertiports will be opened for all eVTOLs

manufacturers.

Announcing the strategic deal, Dr Fethi Chebil, the President and Founder of VPorts, said: 'With the support of the Department of Civil Aviation of Ras Al Khaimah, we are excited to build and operate the first vertiport at Ras Al Khaimah Airport. This project will enable all AAM partners to accelerate the adoption and deployment of advanced air mobility in RAK and throughout the UAE.'

Ras Al Khaimah Airport CEO Ralf Schustereder said this comes as part of RAK Airport's aim to be a leading enabler of RAK’s economic and tourism growth.

'This project will position RAK Airport as part of a development plan and key player in advanced air mobility in RAK. We will provide VPorts with our full support to ensure its success and prosperity,' he added.

According to him, the first vertiport in RAK is aligned with VPorts’ strategy in the UAE and in the world.

By 2030, VPorts plans to extend its vertiport network to all major industrial areas across the UAE,

providing a sustainable transportation solution via eVTOL aircraft.

The network will focus on locations that optimize multimodal transportation connectivity, including Ras Al-Khaimah, Dubai South, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, he added.

In December last year, VPorts had announced the signing a 25-year exclusive lease agreement with the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH), renewable for a further 25 years, to establish a

state-of-the-art integrator centre on a 37,000-sq-m site within Dubai South.

Development and construction of the centre will start in 2023; it is expected to begin operations and conduct its first flight test in 2024.

'We look forward to collaborating with each and every emirate to define the location of dedicated vertiports as well as safety and security regulations, flight corridors, urban integration and business community engagement for this important undertaking,'added Dr Chebil.

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