Skyports Infrastructure and Korean Air announced this week that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the development of a unified technology platform for managing eVTOL operations, which they say will create a system that will “support safe and real-world commercial eVTOL services.” 

The agreement was formalized at Drone Show Korea 2026 in Busan, South Korea, with signatures from Ankit Dass, Skyports Infrastructure CTO, and Kyung-Nam Kim, Korean Air managing vice president and head of its R&D center.

The collaboration will integrate two platforms currently in development at each organization. Skyports' Vertiport Automation System (VAS) will support core vertiport operational capabilities, while Korean Air's Air Control & Routing Orchestrated Skyway System (ACROSS) will contribute flight operations and low-altitude air traffic management functionality. The partnership will focus on technical alignment to support future interoperability between the two systems, with joint demonstrations and pilot programs planned as part of testing and validation efforts.

The two companies bring distinct but complementary areas of expertise to the initiative. Korean Air, one of the world's largest commercial carriers, has deep experience in flight operations control and traffic management systems. Skyports brings vertiport-specific technology and operational experience, with active networks under development across multiple markets. 

The company's Dubai vertiport network is targeting commercial eVTOL operations before the end of 2026, with a parallel network under construction in Abu Dhabi. Skyports also operates Downtown Skyport in New York City, which the company says is the world's busiest commercial heliport and is currently transitioning to AAM, and is developing South Korea's first vertiport network on Jeju Island, slated for commercial operations in 2028.

"This partnership with Korean Air reflects our shared vision to create the technologies and operational frameworks needed to bring Advanced Air Mobility to life," said Dass in a press statement. "With Skyports having a vertiport network under development in Dubai, where the world's first full-scale commercial eVTOL service is planned, alongside developing Korea's first AAM network in Jeju Island, we have highly relevant future contexts for potential applications of such technologies."

Kwang-Oh Moon, Korean Air’s head of Future Technology Development Center, emphasized the importance of vertiport integration to ACROSS. 

"From a systems perspective, close integration with vertiports, which will assume the role of traditional airports for commercial aviation, is critically important. The synergy between Skyports' infrastructure and Korean Air's ACROSS will set the global standard for AAM operations."

Source: Skyports Infrastructure