Atkins is working alongside electric aircraft company Vertical Aerospace to help develop intercity air taxi services that, they say, will “revolutionise urban travel.”

Jointly located in Bristol, with its long-standing aviation heritage, the collaboration brings together extensive industry expertise with the aim of revolutionising how people fly globally.

Together, Atkins and Vertical Aerospace plan to develop a blueprint for urban air mobility, with Atkins designing the system and infrastructure around the air vehicle. The blueprint will cover aviation infrastructure, passenger experience, operating models, intelligent mobility and cyber security. The partnership builds upon the vehicle safety and certification support Atkins is currently providing to Vertical Aerospace.

Philip Hoare, president of Atkins, said: “As the world’s population continues to grow, our current city transportation models, associated infrastructure and ways of operating will need to adapt to meet unprecedented demand. Vertical Aerospace and Atkins’s pioneering work to take on-demand travel skyward, by developing a system in which fully-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) can operate, has the potential to revolutionise future city and regional transportation.”

Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said: "As we push ahead with developing the technology to decarbonise flight, we must keep passenger experience and safety at the forefront of our designs. Atkins are the perfect partner to develop this infrastructure from the ground upwards and we are delighted to be working with them."

Founded by greentech entrepreneur Stephen Fitzpatrick in 2016, Vertical Aerospace is among the first companies in the world to build and fly a full-scale, fully-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and is working towards commercial flight by 2023.