New collaboration sets the stage for software defined, hardware enabled urban airports

With air travel volumes surging and cities seeking sustainable, efficient transport, Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) is poised to radically transform urban travel. To help bring this vision to life, SITA and Urban-Air Port Ltd (UAP) have joined forces in a new collaboration, combining modular vertiport infrastructure with innovative digital platforms, to pioneer integrated, scalable, and passenger-centric urban air transport. Electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs), enabled by smart vertiports, promise to reshape short regional journeys, cutting carbon emissions, saving time, and alleviating pressure on existing infrastructure.

SITA’s advanced technology will help leverage Urban-Air Port’s globally recognized, patented vertiport technology, which delivers ultra-compact, high-capacity infrastructure for cleaner, better connected multi-modal hubs for passenger and cargo with civilian and defense applications. UAP’s “Vertical Airfield” innovation, 80% smaller than conventional airfields, supports safe, quiet hybrid VTOL operations at height with modular, scalable designs and integrated energy storage, enhancing passenger experience and sustainability.

The partnership will create the world’s first fully integrated Software-Defined Vertiport, featuring a co-developed “AirOne” vertiport for global unveiling. Urban-Air Port contributes expertise in modular, rapidly deployable vertiports, while SITA brings decades of Travel tech proficiency, including passenger processing, air-to-ground communications, and real-time data management. Together, they are delivering the digital and physical building blocks that will unlock fast deployment, safe operations, and a seamless passenger experience.

“Urban Air Mobility holds vast potential to shape the future of travel, but it must scale rapidly, safely, and intelligently,” said Benoit Verbaere, Director of Business Development for Travel & Transport at SITA. “We’re using our decades of aviation expertise to build the digital backbone of the AAM ecosystem, seamlessly integrating eVTOLs into tomorrow’s intermodal transport networks.”

Central to the initiative is the Vertiport Management System (VMS), a cloud-based platform orchestrating every aspect of vertiport operations, including planning, resource allocation, passenger flow, weather data monitoring, and security. By integrating modular infrastructure with a cloud-native platform, automation and AI support, the partnership aims to deliver the resilience, scalability, and operational agility essential for high-density AAM deployments in complex urban environments.

Andrea Wu, CEO of Urban-Air Port, added: “This isn’t just about new infrastructure, it’s about delivering a fully-connected experience for passengers, VTOL and transport operators. By uniting our innovative vertiport hardware with SITA’s proven aviation platforms, we’re building a real foundation for safe, scalable air mobility with global reach.”