From Harry Potter to The Jetsons, flying cars have been staple features of science fiction blockbusters for years.
And with the futuristic vehicles rapidly getting closer to becoming a reality, the world's first vertiport has opened this week.
The Air-One vertiport is located in Coventry and will be a hub for drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, including flying cars and taxis.
The site will serve as a blueprint for more than 200 vertiports planned worldwide over the next five years, according to Urban-Air Port, the UK-based developer of Air-One.
'The opening of Air-One is a momentous moment – the starting gun for a new age of transport, an age of zero-emission, congestion-free travel between and within cities that will make people healthier, happier and more connected than ever before,' said Ricky Sandhu, Founder and Executive Chairman of Urban-Air Port.
'Cars have roads. Trains have rails. Planes have airports. Now, eVTOLs have an Urban-Air Port.'
The Air-One vertiport is located in Coventry and will serve as a hub for drones and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, including flying cars and taxis
The site will serve as a blueprint for more than 200 vertiports planned worldwide over the next five years, according to Urban-Air Port, the UK-based developer of Air-One. Pictured: a Supernal flying taxi at the site
Air-One was first announced back in October but has officially opened today.
'From design, through to fabrication and now into operation, Urban-Air Port has delivered Air-One in just 15 months, setting the standard for deployment globally and opening up a world of possibilities for rapid response air mobility,' Mr Sandhu said.
'Air-One is just the first model in our infrastructure fleet and our order-book is not only open but already growing.
'The interest is turning into recognition of the need for our technology and into demand.'
The first site was chosen in Coventry due to its location in the heart of the UK, with most parts of the country within four hours reach.
However, Urban-Air Port has ambitious plans for more than 200 vertiports worldwide by 2027.
Sites are already planned in the West Midlands and London, as well as in Los Angeles, Australia, South Korea, France, Germany, Scandinavia and South East Asia.
Air-One will be used to host demonstrator flights, including those run by the West Midlands Police and Skyfarer.
The site in Coventry was chosen due to its location in the heart of the UK, with most parts of the country within four hours distance
Air-One will be used to host demonstrator flights, including those run by the West Midlands Police (pictured) and Skyfarer. And on the opening day, a huge bed-sized drone developed by Malloy Aeronautics will be flown from the hub – marking the first time a drone of this size has flown in an urban environment.
And on the opening day, a huge bed-sized drone developed by Malloy Aeronautics will be flown from the hub – marking the first time a drone of this size has flown in an urban environment.
Meanwhile, the Air-One site in Coventry will also have charging points for electric vehicles.
In the future, Urban-Air Port says its vertiports will serve four key markets – flying taxis, autonomous delivery drones, disaster emergency management, and defence operations and logistics.
Robert Courts, Minister for Aviation, said: 'British innovation has a rich history of transforming global transportation, from the creation of the railroads in the 1800s, to the growth of great
