Skyports Infrastructure, an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) infrastructure developer, and AirAsia’s Advanced Air Mobility, a dedicated unit of AirAsia Aviation Group Limited (the aviation arm of Capital A), have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to explore the development of air taxi infrastructure in Malaysia.

The partnership between AAM industry expert Skyports, and AirAsia, a traditional airline operator, is an important next step in establishing a fully operational vertiport network in the country. As the industry matures, partnerships between traditional aviation players and AAM specialists are essential in developing a practical, well-studied, and well-integrated network of vertiports.

Already a global leading brand in the commercial airline industry, AirAsia is also actively involved in the operationalization of AAM in Malaysia. In the past year alone, the company announced future plans to lease 100 Vertical Aerospace VX4 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon, launched its drone training programme, and most recently, extended drone-related training to the high-technology related sectors.

Leveraging the strengths of both parties, the partnership will draw on AirAsia’s aviation expertise and experience, as well as its on-ground market knowledge and networks. Complementing this, Skyports Infrastructure brings to the table its global portfolio of designing and building take-off and landing infrastructure for eVTOL passenger aircraft. Skyports Infrastructure’s work is also instrumental in advancing regulatory development across markets, through close collaboration with local regulatory bodies and standards setting organisations.

Initial assessments will prioriti e Kuala Lumpur. The one-year partnership will focus on joint feasibility studies for the integration of air taxi vertiport infrastructure, the identification of potential vertiport sites, and the development of operational requirements and frameworks ultimately to implement a vertiport network in Malaysia.

A pioneer in the burgeoning AAM industry, Skyports Infrastructure has a diverse portfolio of projects across major cities, including Paris, London and Los Angeles. Within the Asia Pacific region, the company has made steady progress, with ongoing partnerships to assess and develop AAM infrastructure in neighboring Singapore and Japan.