Korean Air Lines said on the 26th that it has formed a partnership with SkyPorts Infrastructure, a British advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure corporations, to develop an integrated operations platform for urban eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft.

An eVTOL is an aircraft that uses electricity as power and takes off and lands vertically without a runway. It generates far less noise than a helicopter and is considered suitable for future air mobility, including urban operations.

On the 26th at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO), Kim Kyeong-nam, head of the Korean Air Lines Aircraft Technology Research Institute (right), and Ankit Dass, chief technology officer of Skyports (left), pose for a commemorative photo. /Courtesy of Korean Air Lines

Through this partnership, the two sides agreed to develop an integrated operations platform that can operate eVTOLs safely and efficiently. The plan is to build the platform by combining Korean Air Lines' traffic management and flight control technology with Skyports' vertiport (a facility for eVTOL takeoffs and landings) operations technology.

The plan is to oversee operations for every step through the platform, from the moment passengers arrive at the vertiport to boarding, arrival at the destination, disembarking, and passing through security checkpoints. They plan to run a pilot program by conducting joint demonstrations in regions where AAM will be commercialized.

The platform will be designed to support solutions that can be integrated not only with Korean Air Lines but across the AAM industry. The two sides aim to commercialize the platform and secure a leading position in the global AAM market.

The signing ceremony for the partnership was held that afternoon at the Drone Show Korea 2026 venue at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO). Attendees included Kim Kyeong-nam, head of the Aircraft Technology Research Institute at Korean Air Lines, and Ankit Dass, chief technology officer (CTO) of Skyports, among other key officials.

A Korean Air Lines official said, "Our in-house AAM traffic management and flight control system, ACROSS, aims to provide smooth services for low-altitude air traffic management," adding, "To that end, close integration with vertiports, which serve as airports in the AAM field, is essential, and cooperation with Skyports, a global leader in vertiport design and operations, is very important."

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