FutureFlight
Brisbane Set To Open Australia's First eVTOL Air Taxi Base in 2023
Initially, the operations hub will be built under existing rules governing helipads for rotorcraft as Skyportz and others work with Australian authorities to develop more specific requirements for eVTOL aircraft.
The Australian Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence
The Australian Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence is the location for what Skyportz says will be the first of up to 400 eVTOL operating bases across the country. (Image: Skyportz)

Brisbane is set to have an eVTOL air taxi hub by 2023 under plans announced by ground infrastructure developer Skyportz. Addressing the Air Taxi World Congress on October 12, the company’s CEO, Clem Newton-Brown, said the facility at the Australian Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (AAMCE) will be the first operating base in a network that could extend eventually to 400 sites in major cities also including Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide.

Initially, Skyportz is focusing its efforts on locations where it can get the planned facilities approved under existing helipad regulations for helicopter operations. The Melbourne-based company is working with federal and state authorities to develop regulations that are more specific to eVTOL aircraft, while making its planned facilities available for existing helicopter operations.