Plans to turn Archerfield Airport into air taxi hub

Southeast Queensland has taken a major step in becoming a beacon of the future, with an airport in the region set to become an air taxi hub.

Archerfield Airport is set to become the hub of Southeast Queensland’s future Advanced Air Mobility transport network. Picture: Wisk Aero.

A Brisbane airfield has inked a deal to become the region’s air taxi hub with the airport’s operators promising the move won’t increase flight noise.

Archerfield Airport in Brisbane’s south will be the base for the region’s future Advanced Air Mobility operations, hosting self-flying taxis that will whiz passengers around in time for the Olympics and Paralympics in 2032.

Executive General Manager at Archerfield Airport Corporation, Rod Parry said the airport was well-placed to service the emerging advanced air mobility sector.

“Archerfield’s central location only 11 kilometres from Brisbane’s CBD and between three 2032 Olympic and Paralympic zones, along with its recent $20 million infrastructure upgrade and critical mass of aeronautic expertise, positions it perfectly to become a primary node in the AAM ecosystem, providing the facilities for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) recharging, maintenance and other services,” he said.

“By the time of Brisbane’s Olympic Games, eVTOLs will likely be providing essential emissions-free transport services from vertiports around the region, keeping traffic off our busy roads and ensuring the efficient transfer of personnel to key sites throughout South-East Queensland.”

Archerfield Airport.

The airport which become Australia’s busiest helicopter port, signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with Boeing-owned company Wisk Aero, to support eVTOL air taxis at Archerfield Airport.

Mr Parry said the Strategic Alliance Agreement with Wisk Aero was a “back-to-the-future moment” for the historic airport.

“Archerfield was at the forefront of aviation technology in the 1930s when the industry transformed Australia,” he said.

“Archerfield Airport will be back at the cusp of innovation through the adoption of AAM, delivering fast, safe, quiet, eco-friendly, on-demand aviation alternatives adaptable to a wide range of applications that will be vital as Queensland continues to grow rapidly.”

The agreement will see the pair embark on a number of projects to develop the necessary infrastructure to support eVTOL aircraft, kicking off with a project to determine the electrical and infrastructure requirements and the facilities needed.

It is expected that Archerfield Airport will act as the operating base for maintenance, cleaning, charging and potential crew changes, landing facilities called vertiports will need to be established.

While the exact location of these vertiports throughout the southeast have not been determined, Mr Parry anticipates they will be integrated with the designs for Games venues and other strategic positions across the region.

eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft are set to revolutionise aviation, providing fast, clean and quiet advanced air mobility (AAM) transport options. Picture: Wisk Aero.

In June this year, Australian aviation consulting company Skyportz unveiled a design concept for a vertiport on the Brisbane River near Queens Wharf.

Wisk Aero’s Generation 6 aircraft is the world’s first all-electric, autonomous, four-seat eVTOL aircraft designed for passenger transport.

While the manufacturer may not be the first company to enter its eVTOL aircraft into service, it plans to be the first to enter autonomous eVTOLs into the market.

Wisk Aero’s Manager of Market Development said the company has conducted more 1,750 test flights, pioneering the future of urban travel and daily commutes, aiming to ease congestion in heavily congested cities and regions, like south east Queensland.

“Wisk is committed to bringing safe, sustainable and scalable autonomous air taxis to South-East Queensland,” Dan Parsons, Manager of Market Development at Wisk, said.

“Archerfield is at the forefront of facilitating the AAM ecosystem within Brisbane and we’re excited to partner to evaluate potential future Wisk operations and airspace integration at their site, one of the major private airports in the region.”

The company, based in California’s Silicon Valley, recently partnered with Airservices Australia to study how air taxis and other autonomous aircraft can be integrated into the country’s airspace.