UK transport and logistics infrastructure start up Urban-Air Port (UAP) is collaborating with Leeds Bradford airport (LBA) on developing a new unmanned and manned aerial vehicle hub.

UAP will be working with LBA to develop an off grid, hydrogen-powered infrastructure hub at the airport. The main role of the site will be to provide a space for the command, charging and loading of logistics drones, providing safe and secure infrastructure to support drone delivery services in the Leeds City region in the near future. Within the scope of the agreement between LBA and Urban-Air Port, there is also capacity for VTOL vehicle storage and charging.

Urban-Air Port aims to reduce congestion in busy cities and create sustainable logistics solutions throughout the UK.

“In putting this agreement with LBA in place, we are getting ahead of the curve for the next wave of logistics and infrastructure. We are looking forward to developing an ultra compact, rapidly deployable, multi-functional operations hub with facilities for vehicles providing aircraft command and control, charging/refuelling, cargo and passenger loading. This will result in a future with less vehicles on our road and more sustainable cities,” says UAP founder and executive chairman Ricky Sandhu.

“This collaboration signifies an exciting development for the airport and highlights the ability of Yorkshire to lead on innovative infrastructure solutions," adds LBA head of planning development Charles Johnson. "It's fantastic to see how aviation and its partner industries are developing new technologies that will be essential to our future. I am looking forward to seeing how the project develops, as we continue to act as a key hub for connectivity in the UK.”

Urban-Air Port has begun building its first Air One vertiport for passenger air taxis and logistics drones at a site in Coventry, which will be officially opened at an official launch event on 25 April 2022. It has selected French software developer Dassault Systèmes 3DExperience platform to provide the digital architecture for design, development and operational management of this, and of its vertiport sites around the world.

Selected as a winner of the UK government's Future Flight Challenge Phase 2 in 2021, the Air One programme in Coventry will bring industry, government and the public together to demonstrate how sustainable advanced air mobility can reduce congestion, cut air pollution and decarbonise transport while providing seamless passenger journeys and cargo deliveries.

Furthermore, Coventry is a historic hub for the automobile and aerospace industry, with a pool of people and skills that can support the manufacturing industries of the future. The city's position also provides easy access within four hours to most parts of the country, making this the perfect location for development.

“We are thrilled to partner with Dassault Systèmes,” says Sandhu. “Its experience combined with a world-class reputation for innovation in 3D design has been recognised across the aviation and aerospace industry and in the development of some of the world's leading eVTOL and OEM brands. Its work in precision design, virtual twin modelling and testing ensure delivery of the highest quality, and this is precisely why we have come together to expand our capabilities in AAM infrastructure. Our technology driven solutions, whether for Air One, Marine One or CityBox will now benefit from the 3DExperience platform from inception through to delivery and operation in real-time. This is an exciting new way of delivering mass-produced infrastructure and only Dassault Systèmes can provide the level of functionality we require.”

This collaboration with Dassault Systèmes will see Urban-Air Port respond to the challenges of air mobility with an end-to-end data approach, driven in particular by UAPs' experience in the domain. An array of benefits will be seen through four key areas including:

- Design: incorporating architectural and engineering design into the virtual twin to allow for greater use of the 3D data, not only within engineering but across multiple business functions.

- Planning: the platform will allow for a single source of data truth, simplified reporting process and better collaboration with suppliers.

- Fabrication: enable fabricators to rapidly develop the design shared by engineers into mass production.

- Asset and facility management: the virtual twin will allow Urban-Air Port to optimise its vertiports and maintenance of its infrastructure in real-time

- Operations: optimisation of product usage such as energy consumption, which will help inform more sustainable designs in future developments.

“Coventry is quickly becoming a hub for sustainable transport development,” says Dassault Systèmes managing director, EuroNorth John Kitchingman. “Urban-Air Port's ambition is an undeniable match for the 3DExperience platform's capabilities. Capitalising on years of experience accumulated in pioneering sectors of PLM urban planning and airport management, this partnership will showcase new heights for the aerospace industry and demonstrate how virtual twin technology can support its sustainable transition.”