Urban Blue: this is the name of the brand-new project launched on October 25 that will enable the development of urban air mobility (UAM) infrastructures internationally. The four airports behind this project are those of Rome, Venice, Bologna, and the Côte d’Azur airports.
The company will be responsible for studying, designing, building, and managing vertiports – sites intended for the takeoff of electric vertical takeoff airplanes (e-VTOL). These infrastructures are essential for connecting airports to built-up areas.
Urban air mobility offers many advantages as it will help, among other things, to alleviate traffic congestion in urban centers. It is also a sustainable and innovative form of mobility, attracting more and more investors.
Initially, the vertiport network will be deployed within the four founding cities of Urban Blue but could later be “extended to other geographical areas of interest.” The start of operations in Nice, Rome, Venice, and Bologna is planned for 2024, “an ambitious but possible timeframe.” Indeed, they are confident in meeting this short deadline because Urban Blue already has “a portfolio of vertiport projects with strong development potential, already identified in specific reference geographical areas.”
Franck Goldnadel, CEO of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, stated that “participating in the creation and development of Urban Blue is part of not only our strategy but also our convictions regarding sustainable mobility.”
