Ferrovial Vertiports, a division of Ferrovial Airports, has appointed Kirk Hotelling as senior VP of real estate and development, reporting to Ferrovial Vertiports CEO Kevin Cox. In this role, Hotelling will lead global site selection, negotiations and construction for the development of the company's planned vertiport networks. He will be based at Ferrovial Vertiports headquarters in Irving, Texas.

As Ferrovial Vertiports works to develop the innovative, sustainable vertiport networks needed to transform urban air mobility, Hotelling further strengthens its team with decades of experience in the commercial and private aviation, advanced air mobility, infrastructure, real estate and public sectors.

Hotelling brings nearly 25 years of commercial aviation experience, most recently as vice president of corporate real estate for American Airlines, where he oversaw relationships with the global airline's more than 340 domestic and international airports, including hubs at Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte, Miami and Phoenix international airports. During his tenure he also led the development of American's 300 acre headquarters campus in Fort Worth, Texas. Before joining US Airways in 2000, Hotelling served as an officer in the US Army and graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point.

“Kirk's broad experience in large scale real estate and airport site selection, negotiations and construction for one of the world's largest airlines adds important capabilities to our talented and diverse team. As we transform the way people move within, through and between cities, we are proud to play a key role in making urban mobility easier, faster and more sustainable for passengers and the communities where they live and work,” says CEO Kevin Cox.

“Having spent much of my career in traditional aviation, it is exciting to join a company and emerging industry that are making the next generation of mobility services possible for congested communities globally,” Hotelling adds. “I look forward to contributing to an inspired and talented team and a company with a bold vision for building the infrastructure needed to make zero-emissions eVTOL transport a reality in our daily lives.”

Ferrovial has also appointed Kevin Costello as senior vice president of business development for the northeast region of the United States, reporting directly to Cox. In this role, Costello will lead the development of the vertiport network across the US east coast, initially focusing on the New York and New Jersey markets, and will be based in New York.

Costello brings decades of experience across the commercial aviation industry. He comes to Ferrovial from JetBlue, where he served as director of properties and infrastructure development and lead the properties team that works with airlines, airport authorities and business partners across a 100 plus city network. Prior to JetBlue, Costello held operational leadership positions at US Airways Express in Boston and at New York-LaGuardia.

“We are excited to add Kevin's vast experience, regional insight and stakeholder knowledge in the northeast region and across the US to our team. We are proud to continue building an unparalleled team committed to our mission to transform the way people move within, through and between congested cities across the globe,” says Cox.

“It is a tremendous opportunity to help usher in a new era of transportation by developing the infrastructure that will support the future of urban mobility,” Costello adds. “I am delighted to join Ferrovial, and I look forward to working with communities, public and regulatory officials, aviation and other transportation partners to help fulfil Ferrovial Vertiports' vision of delivering a next-generation transportation option to cities, travellers and commuters alike.”

In collaboration with leading advanced mobility manufacturers, air service operators, airports and cities, Ferrovial Vertiports, backed by Ferrovial's 70 years of transportation infrastructure experience, is developing a series of agnostic vertiports networks across the US and Europe that will support eVTOLs.