Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

Advanced air mobility infrastructure group Skyports has acquired Falcon Heliport, one of only two public heliports in London, and will develop it as a potential vertiport for eVTOL aircraft. The facility, Now operating under the name Skyports London Heliport, the facility sits close to the UK capital’s Canary Wharf financial district and will continue to be available to helicopter operators.

 


Skyports said it will start using the facility to evaluate vertiport operations and equipment as part of its plans to provide infrastructure for eVTOL air taxi services in the UK and other countries. Last year, the UK-based company announced plans to develop a vertiport in the north London suburb of Brent Cross. It is also working on prospective sites in the U.S., France, South Korea, and Singapore.

 


“The acquisition demonstrates our ambition to deliver a network of operational landing sites for eVTOLs and our commitment to making the UK a leader in the decarbonization of domestic aviation,” said Skyports head of Europe and the Middle East Damian Kysely. “The heliport will also provide us with a live operating environment in which we can safely develop and test our vertiport systems, collect operational data, and mature our vertiport technologies.”

 


The city’s other heliport is in&nbsp;Battersea on the west side of central London. It is owned by David and Simon Reuben, who also own London Oxford Airport.

 


Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at <a href="http://www.futureflight.aero/">FutureFlight.aero</a>, a news and information resource developed by AIN to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.

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