Urban Blue: urban air mobility is on the move
26 October 2021
Aeroporti di Roma, Aeroporto di Venezia, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur and Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi di Bologna are joining forces to build and manage vertiports.
“Urban Blue” is the name of the new venture unveiled on 26 October 2021 by four airports, including a leading French hub. Nice airport has joined forces with its counterparts in Rome, Venice and Bologna to accelerate the development of vertiports, from their design to their management, including of course their construction.
The company, which will be open to new industrial, technological and financial partnerships for the gradual expansion of MAU (Urban Air Mobility) in various geographical areas, in addition to Italy and France, will study, design, build and manage the infrastructure, also known as “vertiports”, which is essential to enable electric vertical take-off aircraft (e-VTOL) to connect airports to built-up areas and promote intra-urban mobility, thus helping to decongest traffic in urban centres.
UGM is one of the most promising forms of innovative and sustainable mobility for the years to come. The potential of this sector is growing rapidly, with an estimated market value for Europe of more than €4 billion by 2030. Growing public acceptance, technological advances and ongoing regulatory changes are driving investor interest in this sector.
As a first step, Urban Blue will carry out technical and economic feasibility studies and develop master plans, in coordination with all the stakeholders of the new ecosystem, to prepare for the permitting phase and subsequent construction and management of the vertiports.
Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur aims to amplify the effects of the energy transition in air transport and to anticipate new uses. As an airport operator located in a landlocked area, between the sea and the mountains, in the heart of urban and industrial areas, the Group is anticipating the spread of this new form of mobility in the short term. This is why participating in the creation and development of Urban Blue is not only part of our strategy, but also of our convictions in terms of sustainable mobility,” said Franck Goldnadel, CEO of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur.
Extract from the press release of Aeroporto di Roma, Aeroporto di Venezia, Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur and Aeroporto Guglielmo Marconi di Bologna
