Hanneke Weitering is a writer and editor with AIN covering advanced air mobility and new flight technologies. She became an aviation journalist and joined the AIN team in the summer of 2022 after reporting on spaceflight and astronomy for six years at Space.com. After earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, she moved to New York City to pursue a master’s degree in science, health, and environmental reporting at New York University&#039;s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute. After spending several years in the Pacific Northwest, she has returned to the Knoxville area.

Science & Technology Editor

Hanneke Weitering

Canadian startup VPorts, which plans to build vertiports and other associated ground infrastructure for eVTOLs, is stepping up its involvement in the United Arab Emirates’s burgeoning advanced air mobility (AAM) industry.
Yesterday during the Arab Aviation Summit in Ras Al Khaimah, VPorts signed deals with three companies—eVTOL developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/skydrive" target="_blank">SkyDrive</a>, electric airplane developer&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/aircraft-program/electra-estol" target="_blank">Electra Aero</a>, and Abu Dhabi-based business jet operator&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-06-08/falcon-and-eve-plan-launch-evtol-services-dubai" target="_blank">Falcon Aviation</a>—that will help it stand up and operate an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-12-07/dubai-advanced-air-mobility-integrator-center-will-support-evtol-aircraft">AAM business park</a>&nbsp;in Dubai.
VPorts also simultaneously announced plans to build and operate a vertiport at the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, an Air Arabia hub about 50 miles northeast of Dubai on the coast of the Persian Gulf. The vertiport will be built on a 2.5-acre site at the Ras Al Khaimah airport and will initially be dedicated to transportation of time-sensitive cargo and medical patients. The company eventually plans to offer eVTOL flights at the vertiport.
‘‘With the support of the Department of Civil Aviation of Ras Al-Khaimah, we are excited to build and operate the first vertiport at Ras Al Khaimah Airport," said VPorts founder and president Fethi Chebil. "This project will enable all AAM partners to accelerate the adoption and deployment of advanced air mobility in RAK and throughout the UAE.”
Want more? You can find a longer version of this article at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.futureflight.aero/" target="_blank">FutureFlight.aero</a>, a news and information resource developed by&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;to provide objective coverage and analysis of cutting-edge aviation technology.

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