As commercial manned air travel seems ever more uncomfortable for the average flyer, Joby and Skyports Develop Living Lab for Urban Air Mobility to make the terminal experience better for passengers.

by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby

Continue reading below, or listen:

“Our all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft is set to revolutionize the way we travel in and around cities. Joby riders will skip the traffic, flying directly to their destination at over 200 mph,” said Joby Head of Product Eric Allison. “But to realize the vision of everyday flight, we need to deliver a seamless and more rapid experience on the ground. The Living Lab will allow us to rethink the terminal experience, keeping our customers front and centre throughout their entire journey.”

“We expect the Living Lab to be instrumental in our efforts to engage regulators, government officials, and the public to demonstrate the benefits of electric vertical take-off and landing operations and promote acceptance of this new form of mobility,” said Skyports CEO Duncan Walker. “Our aim is to develop vertiport infrastructure that delivers a ‘zero-wait’ check-in experience for customers, and we’re delighted to be working with Joby, one of the leading companies in this sector, to prepare for that future.”

The announcement was made ahead of Joby’s Field Trip event, which will see the company provide partners and investors with a behind the scenes look at its pilot production facility, the site where its first production prototype is currently under development. The Living Lab will be displayed across the country over the course of next 18 months, offering both industry professionals and the general public a chance to experience the future of aviation.

Skyports previously announced a UK government funded project earlier in the year. The project will see the development of a vertiport at a London General Aviation aerodrome, with the company’s European vertiport testbed to launch this coming November at the Pontoise-Cormeilles aerodrome, Paris, with a major program of live flight operations.

Read more about Joby and Skyports:

Ian attended Dominican University of California, where he received a BA in English in 2019. With a lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and a keen interest in technology, he is now contributing to DroneLife as a staff writer.