The Spanish infrastructure groups is bulking up its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) knowledge and experience to drive existing and new infrastructure plans for the sector.

Ferrovial Airports has made two weighty appointments to its vertiports business as it steps up activity in eVTOLs, a market which is projected to be worth $1.5 trillion by 2040 based on estimates by Morgan Stanley Research.

Bob Montgomery, a veteran of Southwest Airlines, joins as head of business development at Ferrovial Vertiports, and former transformation director at Manchester Airports Group (MAG), Brad Miller, becomes managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

In a statement Ferrovial said: “These executive appointments will drive development of the network of vertiports that the company is to deploy in the United States and Europe.

Strong Career Paths

Montgomery has spent most of his career at Southwest, where he held a number of executive positions, including vice president of airport affairs. He also served on the oversight committee for the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) at the request of the U.S. secretary of transportation.

As the new head of business development, Montgomery will be responsible for identifying new business opportunities, including negotiating leases and acquiring new sites for Ferrovial Vertiports.

Miller also has longevity in aviation with more than 30 years’ experience in aviation and construction. Before becoming transformation director at MAG he held positions in the group that included MD of e-commerce, and chief operating officer at London Stansted and Manchester airports, with responsibility for major construction and other projects.

In his new position as MD for EMEA, Miller will oversee the development of the network of vertiports in the United Kingdom and Spain that has already been announced.

“Vertiports are an Essential Infrastructure”

Commenting on the new hires, CEO of Ferrovial Vertiports, Kevin Cox, said: “The appointments of Bob and Brad are decisive steps in our mission to help the industry deliver a fast, affordable, emission-free form of transportation to millions of people.”

From a wider perspective, CEO of Ferrovial Airports, Luke Bugeja, added: “Ferrovial Vertiports has a strong management team thanks to the combination of our vast experience in airport construction and management, and the recent appointments of top-notch talent that will boost our industry knowledge. That will enable us to play a key role in the development of the necessary infrastructure for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.”

Ferrovial says that vertiports are “an essential infrastructure” to ensure the safe and successful deployment of eVTOLs. The company added: “These infrastructures will be intermodal centers integrated into the urban landscape that are adapted to the environment, reduce the acoustic impact, produce no emissions, and meet the highest energy efficiency standards through their innovative design.”

Just a few weeks ago, Ferrovial announced details of the UAM Plazza Accelerator program which aims to take 10 start-ups to the next level by helping them increase their businesses around Europe. The selected companies will get services during 2022 and have the opportunity to test their solutions in a real city environment through access to ‘living labs’. The application period opened on March 1 and runs through to May 1.