Electric air taxi trials initiated between Cambridge and Oxford

Skyports Infrastructure is leading the project to provide vertiport infrastructure for the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry, in partnership with an all-British consortium of leading aviation companies.

The OxCam AAM Corridor demonstrator, based at Bicester Motion, will look to test and exhibit the commercial and operational viability of electric air-taxi operations between the university hubs.

The trials unite the expertise of Skyports, Bristow Helicopters, NATS, Vertical Aerospace and Oxfordshire County Council. The six month project aims to accelerate the transition of AAM from trials to commercially viable, regional operations within the UK.

Bringing together expertise in vertiport development, aviation operations, aircraft technologies, airspace management and regional planning, the consortium will build on existing initiatives by focussing on the entire ecosystem for regional commercial services.

This includes detailed operational planning, regulatory readiness, community engagement strategies and infrastructure integration within the economically important Oxford–Cambridge corridor.

In providing a robust business case and concept of operations for the commercialisation of regional electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) operations, the project aims to directly support the government’s ambition to ‘kick-start the economy’ by fostering rapid growth and improved connectivity in key regions, contributing to the Chancellor’s vision for the Oxfordshire-Cambridge Corridor to add substantial value to the UK economy by 2035.

In addition to demonstrating the Oxford to Cambridge route, a significant highlight of the project will be a planned “A to A” piloted eVTOL demonstration flight of Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 prototype, which will take place next year from Skyports’ Bicester Vertiport – the first time a piloted passenger eVTOL will fly in the UK from a vertiport. The data from this live flight demonstration will directly feed into and support the OxCam desktop exercises, simulations and demonstrations.

The project has been supported by a successful bid and subsidy from UKRI’s Future Flight: Regional Demonstrator 2, which has the overall objective of accelerating the transition from trials of cutting edge innovations (such as eVTOLs) to real world commercial operations at a regional scale.

In turn, the project’s aim is to serve as a foundational step towards unlocking increased productivity, job creation, and private investment in the UK’s AAM sector, enhancing regional connectivity and contributing significantly to the nation’s net-zero targets and ‘levelling up’ agenda.

Announcement of this project comes soon after the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) set out its eVTOL Development Model, a regulatory framework to facilitate commercial eVTOL flights in the UK by the end of 2028.

Duncan Walker, Chief Executive Officer, Skyports, said: “This project is truly innovative in its pragmatic, end-end approach, demonstrating how AAM can deliver significant economic social and environmental benefits to UK communities, ultimately boosting the national economy and cementing Britain’s global leadership in future flight.

“It’s a privilege to bring together and lead this consortium of top UK aviation companies, which will have a direct impact on the local economy.”