On Wednesday, Advanced Air Mobility and Corporación América Airports signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop, design, and integrate a service and support ecosystem for urban air mobility (UAM) operations in Latin America through electric Vertical and Take Off Landing aircraft (eVTOL). Corporación América Airports, an important operator of 53 airports in six countries (including Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Ecuador), will look to develop vertiports across the region.
Vertiports coming to Latin America
Both companies signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine their expertise and share best practices for vertiport design concepts in markets throughout the world. The collaboration between Advanced Air Mobility and Corporación América Airports will involve developing vertiport networks and operations and evaluating which airports administrated by Corporación are best suited for vertiport deployment.
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Corporación América has a portfolio of 53 airports, mainly in South America. Among the airports administrated by this company are Buenos Aires Ezeiza International (EZE) and Jorge Newbery Airfield (AEP), Brasília International (BSB), Carrasco International (MVD) in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Guayaquil International (GYE) in Ecuador.
“We’re at an incredibly exciting point in the industry’s development as we take concrete steps towards implementing a scalable vertiport network that will facilitate commercial eVTOL operations; this partnership will be instrumental to achieving those objectives,” said Addison Ferrell, Director of Skyports Infrastructure, which is a company owned by Advanced Air Mobility. Skyports develops and operates landing infrastructure for electric air taxis and drones.
Latin America – a region suited for eVTOL activities?
The Latin American region might be one of the best in the world for the development of urban air mobility through eVTOLs. The companies leading this trend have definitely put some eggs in the region’s basket. In the last few years, EVE, an Embraer company, and Flapper launched an alliance to develop urban air mobility in Latin America. Plus, Flapper could acquire up to 25 eVTOL aircraft from EVE.
The Brazilian carriers Azula and GOL Linhas Aéreas signed agreements with Lilium and Avolon to acquire up to 220 and 250 eVTOL aircraft in the next few years, respectively.
Last year, Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, described Sao Paulo as an ideal city for eVTOL aircraft, with a population of over 22 million people. Many Latin American cities, such as Mexico City, Lima, Bogota, and Buenos Aires, also have these characteristics. “Our eVTOLs will transform how we travel around high population density cities that are clogged with traffic by taking to the skies with zero-emission aircraft.”
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The next five years are key
Corporación América Airports said the next five years will be decisive for the development of urban air mobility worldwide. Aviation will play a leading role in defining this. Nonetheless, before an urban air mobility ecosystem can fully develop, it needs ground infrastructures and operations, airports, and the integration of different transportation modes.
Earlier this year, Dómhnal Slattery, CEO of Avolon, said that the scale of the company’s ambition is reflected in the partnerships it is signing with some of the leading transportation and airport operators in Latin America. Corporación América signed an alliance with Avolon in June 2022. “Our objective is to deliver the infrastructure requirements to bring zero emissions travel to Brazil (and the region) mid this decade and revolutionize air travel in the region,” Slattery added.
Do you think the eVTOL industry could boom in the Latin American region? Let us know in the comments below.