China-based Haylion Technologies and Australia’s Skyportz have announced a strategic collaboration aimed at introducing Skyportz’s “innovative” vertipad landing infrastructure to the Chinese advanced air mobility (AAM) market.

The partnership, unveiled at the AAM Asia Symposium in Japan, will initially focus on prototype installations in Shenzhen, which is recognised as a hub for low-altitude economic innovation.

Haylion Technologies, a founding member of the Shenzhen AAM Group, has expertise in electric Mobility as a Service (eMaaS), rapid charging, modular vertiport construction, and integrated operational systems.

It is said to play a role in Shenzhen’s infrastructure plan, which aims to establish more than 1,000 vertiports to support urban air mobility.

Skyportz will contribute its patented modular vertipad design to the collaboration, which can address key issues such as downwash, fire safety, and scalability.

The design is lightweight, cost-effective, and adaptable to various urban settings, facilitating the safe and sustainable deployment of eVTOL landing infrastructure globally, according to the company.

Haylion Technologies founder and chairman Dr Hu Jianping said: “Haylion has the local policy leadership, construction capability, and ecosystem influence to set the standard for AAM infrastructure in China.

“By integrating Skyportz’s patented vertipad technology, we can accelerate Shenzhen’s role as a model city for low-altitude transportation.”

By integrating Haylion’s expertise in eMaaS and energy hardware with Skyportz’s vertipad platform, the partnership seeks to develop new infrastructure solutions specifically for dense urban environments.

The phased rollout will commence in Shenzhen, with plans to expand across China and potentially beyond.

Skyportz founder and CEO Clem Newton-Brown said: “This collaboration is the first of further announcements to come as Skyportz partners in emerging AAM regions to solve the problems around urban vertiports. 

“Haylion’s position as a government-connected standard-setter in China, together with Skyportz’s unique intellectual property, creates a powerful platform to develop scalable vertipad solutions.”

Recently, Skyportz launched a new animation highlighting the impact of its patented vertipad design on the global development of advanced air mobility (AAM) networks.