Major New Report: “World is Planning Construction of 1,044 Vertiports by 2028”
Urbanairmobilitynews.com recently published a comprehensive report looking at the development of global vertiports over the coming years. The information revealed is intriguing to say the least.
According to the Report entitled The global vertiport market map and forecast 2024–2028, compiled by the Global AAM/UAM Market Map research team, there are currently 1,044 vertiports planned for development globally between 2024 and 2028.
Of these projects, 366 have been contracted to named suppliers, although not all may come to fruition. A feature posted on the urbanairmobilitynews.com, explains that “The lengthy and complex process of developing aviation facilities in areas which, until now, have been used for very different purposes, plus failures among eVTOL OEMs and regulatory blockages, will mean the most likely number of vertiports in operation around the world by the end of 2028 will be closer to 620.” It adds, “This is still a huge figure, given in 2024, it is likely that just 24 vertiports will be completed globally.“
China is leading the way, where vertiport foundations are underway for networks across the country, to meet expectations of the central government’s low altitude economy strategy. Over 100 vertiports are planned to be constructed in the Guangdong province by 2027 alone.
The article continues, “In legacy aerospace industry regions such as Europe and North America, there is a broad 50/50 percent split between urban and aviation-based locations; elsewhere in the world the demand for vertiports is overwhelmingly in city centres or on waterfront locations.”

(Credit: urbanairmobilitynews.com)
Geographical variations can play a major role in the type and costs for construction and outfitting. For example, in Australasia, a high percentage of first generation vertiports will be airport-based and of modular, low-cost designs, while in the Middle East the developments planned are more extensive and complex, with several major hubs planned that include multiple landing and take-off areas.
The article goes on, “During the last 12 months there has been an important move in the industry to develop new low-cost, modular vertiport concepts, with companies offering entry-level concepts from just USD108,000. In many parts of the world central government is investing heavily in first generation vertiport infrastructure. Japan’s transport ministry is subsidising the construction costs of the country’s first vertiports built by local governments and private companies. The ministry will cover up to 50 percent of construction expenses, with a cap of ¥50 million (USD313,500) per site.”
So, how many vertiports may a large city need?
According to research company, McKinsey, “For large, densely populated cities, there could be roughly 85 to 100 takeoff and landing pads… Building this infrastructure network would cost approximately USD35 to USD45 million, with annual operating costs of around USD110 to USD130 million.
“In medium-size, less densely populated cities, there would be around 38 to 65 takeoff and landing pads, including the following: vertihubs at one major airport and one or two city locations; five to ten vertibases to handle workplace commutes and retail districts; three to five vertipads near suburban commute stations. Building this infrastructure network would cost between USD15 and USD20 million, with annual operating costs ranging from USD35 to USD50 million per year.”

Potential Different Vertiport Concepts for Asia (Credit: Hyundai)
The Demand and Capacity Optimisation for U‑space program (DACUS project) has estimated how many take-off and landing areas (TOLAs) might be needed in Europe, over the next 10 to 15 years, for drones and passenger carrying vehicles.
This particular Report states, “As a test case we applied the calculation to the population that is living in the metropolitan area of Toulouse (about 1.2 million people). In total a number of roughly 350 to 450 stationary TOLAs can be expected there.”
It suggests an average of one TOLA for each 3,000 residents in European urban areas, based on the Toulouse case, could be required by 2036. The Report also looks at TOLA requirements for Madrid and Frankfurt.
In the U.S, there are around 100 vertiports either actively planned or inferred for development. Most recently, there has been a flurry of competing AAM networks announced for the San Francisco Bay area. Whether these facilities will be for general use, or particular to a company’s own network only, is not yet clear.
In Western Europe, the many local authority by-laws around converting building use or developing new structures, may make the development of city centre vertiports highly complex and costly. At present, Turkey has an ambitious, near term vertiport construction program under way.
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(Top image: Modular Vertiport Solution, credit: Skyportz)
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