ACS New York coup: It will develop and operate a future vertiport in Manhattan | Companies

A new peak of ACS in the United States, this time in the midst of one of the urban mobility trends that has forced the largest transportation, aviation and infrastructure companies in the world to compete: electric air taxis (eVTOL) and vertiports that will conduct their takeoffs and landings in urban environments . Skyports’ UK subsidiary has been selected as the preferred option to develop and operate a future vertiport in Manhattan, New York. ACS shares Skyports capital with French airport operator ADP.

The project is being promoted by the New York City Economic Development Corporation and has the support of Mayor Eric Adams, who sees Manhattan as an opportunity to create the first U.S. helipad capable of accommodating electric air transport. The challenge is to adapt the current helipad in midtown Manhattan on the East River, a stone’s throw from Wall Street, to operate air taxis, including charging them electrically. The task was entrusted to ACS.

The infrastructure was built in 1960, and its area of ​​7,800 square meters can accommodate 12 helicopters. The terminal has offices, a VIP lounge and a traveler’s area operated by Shaker Aviation. Certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for commercial flights of these greener devices than helicopters is scheduled for 2025. eVTOL will be able to connect downtown Manhattan with JFK Airport in 10 minutes.

Air taxi makers Joby and Volocopter conducted tests at a helipad in New York’s financial district, as did charger maker BETA Technologies. In addition to pushing for a greener form of transportation, the New York City Council is trying to resolve hundreds of noise complaints from helicopters crossing the city, which have increased by 700% since the pandemic.

The decision must still be ratified on December 9, after which the concession agreement will be signed. Industry sources explain that the contract will last for five years, with a possible extension of up to 20 years.

Last April, the group led by Florentino Pérez and Juan Santamaria acquired a majority stake in the aforementioned Skyports, in which it invested $110 million (around €105 million) through Iridium, its infrastructure concessionaire. This commitment is part of ACS’ strategy to diversify into next-generation infrastructure. Before this invasion, Ferrovial and Acciona held positions in the air transport segment, which already included Boeing, Airbus, Uber, Toyota, Hyundai and AT&T. The group, chaired by Rafael del Pino, plans to install a network of vertiports in Florida and has been a shareholder in German eVTOL manufacturer Lilium since 2020. The family company Entrecanales, in turn, joined the Eve Holding manufacturer in 2022 along with Embraer.

Skyports is already leading the London Heliport project in the UK and has just started construction of a vertiport at Dubai International Airport, out of four planned in the country. Iridium CEO Nuria Haltiwanger joined the Skyports management board along with the concessionaire’s general director of operations, Vicente Maraña, and ACS chief risk officer Ramon Villamil.

The autonomy and weight of electric batteries, as well as charging speed, are among the technological challenges of urban air mobility. Future air taxis will be equipped with systems based on ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), LIDAR technology (measures the distance between moving objects using lasers) or research in distributed electric propulsion system (DIP). Another major concern is safety, given the coexistence with other types of aircraft and the expected future of autonomous vehicles.