Signature Flight Support to facilitate ground-based operations for Uber Air.

By June 19, 2019 January 16th, 2020 News

Uber is innovating the way we travel by making aerial ridesharing commercially available to riders as early as 2023, by developing a network of electric air taxis in cities worldwide that will enable four-person shared flights in densely populated urban markets. The aim is for the electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs) to be quieter, safer, more affordable and environmentally-friendly than helicopters.

To achieve its ambitious goal Uber has entered into a number of partnerships with key industry players. It’s most recent collaboration follows the Uber Elevate summit on 12 June, with Signature Flight Support becoming the company’s first nationwide operations and on-airport infrastructure partner. Signature will also be the ground-based operator of choice for Uber Copter services, which offers the first real demonstration of the Elevate experience.

“Signature Flight Support’s operational prowess and industry leading understanding of the private aviation space are an ideal fit for Uber Elevate’s business,” said Eric Allison, head of Uber Elevate. “Efficient and safe skyports are a critical component of our business model, and our future collaboration with Signature will allow for a seamless rider experience from the moment they arrive at a Skyport, to the moment they depart,” he continued.

With over 200 fixed based operations (FBOs) throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa, and more than 25 years of experience, Signature hopes to apply its “industry leading expertise” to support skyport infrastructure and operations serving eVTOL passenger pickups and drop-offs at their on-airport locations, as well as designated purpose-built eVTOL urban skyports.

“We’re thrilled to join forces with Uber on this groundbreaking initiative that will be a first of its kind in our industry,” said Mark Johnstone, group CEO, Signature Flight Support. “This is a powerful partnership that will leverage Signature Flight Support’s industry leading scale, distribution and aviation expertise and marry it with the innovative services and technology leadership of Uber to forge a bold new vision for the future of transportation.”

Meanwhile Shawn Hall, CCO, Signature Flight Support, expressed his delight at the partnership saying the company was on a mission to “define and deliver NextGen Aviation services and experiences for all our customers and partners.” He concluded that this collaboration with Uber is “just one example of our expanded approach to providing seamless end-to-end travel experiences in compelling, disruptive and innovative ways.”

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