Korean Air, UK’s Skyports to Co-Develop eVTOL Integrated Operations Platform

Korean Air on the 26th formed a partnership with UK-based Skyports Infrastructure to develop an integrated operations platform for urban eVTOL aircraft. [Photo=Korean Air]

Korean Air said on the 26th it has partnered with UK advanced air mobility infrastructure firm Skyports Infrastructure to jointly develop an integrated operations platform for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, for urban air mobility.

The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding that afternoon at the Drone Show Korea (DSK) 2026 event at BEXCO in Busan, the airline said.

Attendees at the signing included Kim Gyeong-nam, head of Korean Air’s Aircraft Technology Research Institute, and Ankit Das, Skyports’ chief technology officer, among other officials.

eVTOL aircraft use electric power to take off and land vertically without a runway. Korean Air said they are considered suitable for future air transport, including urban operations, because they are more than 100 times quieter than helicopters.

Under the partnership, the companies plan to combine Korean Air’s integrated control system, ACROSS — specialized in flight and traffic management for advanced air mobility — with Skyports’ VAS, which focuses on vertiport operations.

They aim to develop a platform that oversees the full process, from a passenger’s arrival at a vertiport through boarding, arrival at the destination and passing through security screening.

A Korean Air official said smooth service delivery is becoming increasingly important for advanced air mobility and other low-altitude air traffic management, adding that cooperation with Skyports, described as a global leader in vertiport design and operations, is significant.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Oh Jooseok