The Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) has selected Italian vertiport network operator UrbanV and Pax Aeroportos, the concessionaire of Campo de Marte and Jacarepaguá airports in Brazil, to implement a regulatory sandbox at Campo de Marte Airport (São Paulo).
Advancing vertiport infrastructure
This initiative is intended to create a testbed for innovative solutions under real-world conditions. The regulatory sandbox will reportedly ensure that these solutions meet safety, efficiency and regulatory standards before their broader implementation.
The testing scope will encompass the definition of design criteria for vertiports, passenger processing analysis and the seamless integration of eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) into existing airport infrastructures.
Aligning AAM strategies
UrbanV and Pax Aeroportos stated that they are committed to jointly developing vertiport infrastructure at Campo de Marte and Jacarepaguá airports, with plans to explore the construction and operation of additional vertiports in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro regions.
Carlo Tursi, CEO at UrbanV, commented, “At UrbanV, we aim to improve people’s lives by enabling a fast, efficient, safe and clean alternative to existing transport solutions for people and goods over short distances, by air. We have the ambition to become a major global operator of vertiport networks, and we will be global pioneers in establishing some of the first AAM routes worldwide. We are excited to partner with Pax Aeroportos, an important player in airport management, and we look forward to exploring together with them the great potential of advanced air mobility in Brazil.”
Rogério Prado, CEO of Pax Aeroportos, added, “Pax Aeroportos operates two airports with strategic locations in the two largest capitals of Brazil. Our operations are primarily focused on business and general aviation, and our existing clientele is aligned with the future demand for eVTOL travel in urban areas. Therefore, we have important assets to help develop the advanced air mobility business, and our partnership with UrbanV in the regulatory sandbox process will allow us to contribute with our expertise in the definition of the framework for vertiport infrastructure design and implementation in Brazil.”
In related news, UrbanV and Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) recently signed an agreement to develop vertiport networks and create an AAM ecosystem. Read Passenger Terminal World’s exclusive interview with Min-Chul Jung, head of the innovative air mobility office at KAC, here, to find out more.