Skyportz and Pelligra Partner to Investigate Australia’s Vertiport Network
by DRONELIFE Staff Writer Ian M. Crosby
air taxi infrastructure company skyports Announced a partnership with a real estate developer Perigra Consider joint development of the Birchport network to attract air taxi and drone delivery services to Australia.
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This new deal builds on previous partnerships between Skyportz and other property owners such as Secure Parking, owner of hundreds of city parking lots.
Skyportz CEO Clem Newton-Brown said in a speech at the Avalon Airshow: “The leading electric air taxi will be certified for operation in the next few years. There is now a need for a vertiport site and if Australia can establish a launch vertiport network, these clean, green and quiet the first of its kind aircraft to be drawn into Australian skies.”
“Perigra’s industrial and commercial property portfolio and Secure Parking’s inner-city car parks enable us to offer a comprehensive network of Vertiport sites in any Australian capital,” continues Newton Brown.
Perigra CEO Ross Perigra said: “We are an agile privately held company with a large portfolio of sites across Australia. In addition to our Vertyport sites, we are developing a local manufacturing industry for eVTOL aircraft and serving as a hub for the Asia Pacific market. I am passionate about what I do.”
With a portfolio of more than 1200 projects in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and abroad, Pelligra owns former Holden and Ford manufacturing plants in Victoria and South Australia and is a high-tech hub. are planning to develop
“We have lost our local car manufacturing industry. We would like Australia to develop manufacturing capacity for electric air taxis,” added Pelligla. “A former car assembly plant would be perfect.”
The next goal of the partnership is to focus resources in the region, aiming to become a global leader in advanced air mobility. No Vertiport network has been installed anywhere in the world yet, but plans are underway in several European and American cities.
“Skyportz put together the pieces of a puzzle,” said Newton-Brown. “What we need now is to find state and local governments who want to support the industry and the investments we want to make.”
Nexa Capital, a US-based consultancy, estimates the potential revenue of five use cases in cities such as Melbourne at more than $5 billion over the first 20 years of operation.
“The key to this industry is breaking the ties between aviation and existing airports,” explained Newton-Brown. “For the industry to reach its potential, it will need to develop a network of new Birchport sites and Skyportz is preparing the landscape where he will partner with infrastructure partners such as Pelligra.”
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Ian attended Dominican University in California and graduated with a BA in English in 2019. With his lifelong passion for writing and storytelling and keen interest in technology, he now contributes to his DroneLife as a staff writer.
Miriam McNabb, editor-in-chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of professional drone services marketplace JobForDrones, is a fascinating observer of the emerging drone industry and drone regulatory environment. With her 3,000+ articles focused on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and high tech she has over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing of new technologies.
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