First European Taxidrone Vertiport

Project Overview

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Completed in 2022, the First European Taxidrone Vertiport marks a major milestone in the development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) in Europe. Commissioned by Skyports Infrastructure in partnership with Groupe ADP, the project was architecturally designed by 1PAX, with Atelier des Fluides and Copilot as partners. Located approximately 40 km northwest of Paris, the 120 m² facility serves as a full-scale operational testbed for next-generation air mobility systems. 

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Key Challenge 

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The challenge was to design a compact yet fully functional terminal capable of supporting real-world eVTOL operations, technology testing, and passenger experience validation. The vertiport needed to integrate emerging aviation standards, advanced technologies, and rapid passenger processing within a highly constrained footprint, while remaining adaptable to the fast-evolving AAM ecosystem. 

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Our Approach

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1PAX conceived the vertiport as a highly efficient, technology-driven passenger interface. The architectural design prioritizes clear spatial organization and rapid flows, enabling flight turnaround times of less than 20 minutes. Advanced features such as facial recognition and door sensor technologies were integrated to streamline passenger processing and minimize waiting times.

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The facility was designed to support a wide range of testing scenarios, including flight operations in collaboration with Thales, ground infrastructure validation, technology integration with partners such as SITA, and passenger experience trials. The architectural language is deliberately concise and modular, allowing the building to act as both an operational terminal and a demonstrator of future urban air mobility infrastructure. 

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