Vports is setting up an eVTOL “vertiport” at Ras Al Khaimah Airport: Canadian air mobility infrastructure developer Vports signed an MoU with UAE’s Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) Airport to build and operate a micro-scale airport — known as “vertiports” — designed for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts, according to a company statement (pdf). Information on the expected project timeline and financial details were not disclosed.

The details: The RAK vertiport will be established on a 10k sqm site designed to accommodate all types of eVTOLs, the statement notes. By 2030, VPorts plans to extend its vertiport network to all major industrial areas across the UAE including Dubai South, Jebel Ali, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

Vports is expanding its presence in the UAE: The company signed in December a 25-year lease agreement with the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority and the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub to build a 37k square meter eVTOL flight testing site at an initial investment of USD 40 bn over the next three years. The center — which is expected to become operational in 2024 — is expected to generate some USD 7 bn in direct revenues over the lease’s lifecycle. Japan’s SkyDrive will be testing its eVTOLs at the site as part of its preparation for its aircraft launch set for 2025, the company revealed yesterday.