UrbanV, PAX Aeroportos to develop Brazil’s first advanced air mobility regulatory sandbox
An Italian vertiport network operator, UrbanV, and PAX Aeroportos, the concessionaire overseeing Brazil’s Campo de Marte and Jacarepaguá airports, have been selected by Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) to implement a regulatory sandbox at Campo de Marte Airport in São Paulo.
This marks a pivotal step in Brazil’s efforts to integrate advanced air mobility (AAM) into its urban transport ecosystem.
The regulatory sandbox will serve as a controlled testing environment and allow innovative AAM solutions to be evaluated under real-world conditions while ensuring they ,eet safety, efficiency, and regulatory standards before broader deployment.
The scope of testing will include defining design criteria for vertiports, analysing passenger processing requirements, and ensuring the seamless integration of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft into existing airport infrastructure.
Furthermore, UrbanV and PAX Aeroportos have committed to jointly develop vertiport infrastructure at both Campo de Marte and Jacarepaguá airports.
Additionally, they plan to explore the construction and operation of further vertiports in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro to support the growing demand for AAM solutions in Brazil’s largest metropolitan areas.
Developing Brazil’s vertiport network
Carlo Tursi, CEO of UrbanV, highlighted the company’s vision for AAM, stating, “At UrbanV, we aim to improve people’s lives by enabling a fast, efficient, safe, and clean alternative to existing transport solutions for people and goods over short distances, by air.”
He added, “We have the ambition to become a major global operator of vertiport networks and we will be global pioneers in establishing some of the first AAM routes worldwide. We are excited to partner with PAX Aeroportos, an important player in airport management, and we look forward to exploring together with them the great potential of advanced air mobility in Brazil.”
Rogério Prado, CEO of PAX Aeroportos, emphasised the strategic advantage of their airport locations and their alignment with the future of eVTOL travel. “PAX Aeroportos operates two airports with strategic locations in the two largest capitals of Brazil. Our operations are primarily focused on business and general aviation and our existing clientele is aligned with the future demand for eVTOL travel in urban areas,” Prado said.
He added, “Therefore, we have important assets to help develop the advanced air mobility business, and our partnership with UrbanV in the Regulatory Sandbox process will allow us to contribute with our expertise in the definition of the framework for vertiport infrastructure design and implementation in Brazil.”
Moreover, in the Middle East, UrbanV has partnered with Cluster2 Airports, a subsidiary of MATARAT Holdings, to develop AAM and urban air mobility (UAM) solutions in Saudi Arabia.
This collaboration is focused o establishing a robust AAM ecosystem within Cluster2’s extensive airport network, supporting the Kingdom’s vision for the commercial launch of air taxis and the broader integration of AAM solutions.