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South Korea to build first public vertiport for eVTOL trials
The government is accelerating the rollout of urban air mobility (UAM) services in Korea, with plans to build a new vertiport in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, later this year for its first field test.
It will be the first such facility built in a public open space rather than inside a research complex.
A vertiport is a hub where electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft land, take off, pick up and drop off passengers, and undergo maintenance.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said it will sign a memorandum of understanding with Goyang Special City, on March 6, for the use of land in Ilsanseo District next to KINTEX.
The three-level vertiport will occupy a 1,836-square-meter site and be based on the country’s first standard design, including a passenger terminal and a hangar.
Authorities plan to test eVTOL flights between the vertiport and two nearby airfields along the Han River under conditions close to actual commercial operations.
🔗 Source: The Korea Times
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Implications, context, and why it matters.
The Goyang vertiport is the next stage of a national plan
- The vertiport sits within South Korea’s K-UAM programme, which includes the K-UAM Grand Challenge, a multi-year national push to bring urban air mobility (UAM) into commercial service 1.
- Officials aim to run electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) test flights from the site to two nearby airfields along the Han River under conditions that mirror commercial operations. The trials also cover passenger terminals, ground handling, maintenance and repair systems, operation control towers, plus facility upkeep systems.
- The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to start with a three-level vertiport on a 1,836-square-meter site in Ilsanseo District near KINTEX. It expects to finish the remaining infrastructure by the end of next year.
- The government roadmap sets 2028 for commercial UAM services focused on public services, then private-sector-led services in 2030 2.
- The work shifts UAM testing from the 2023 National Comprehensive Flight Test Center in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, into an urban setting in Goyang.
Some market talk on UAM-linked real estate needs caution
- An investment-focused blog says vertiport construction already affects property values, with analysis adding “Air-zone” access alongside factors like subway proximity 3.
- The blog also says the government set up “Fixed Sky Corridors” linking Incheon International Airport to nodes along the Han River 3.
- It adds that “vertistops” added to office towers bring a 15% premium on commercial lease rates 3.
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