FLYING taxis and delivery drones could soon be taking off at Leeds Bradford Airport from a planned new aerial vehicle hub.

LBA has joined forces with radical new transport and logistics infrastructure business Urban-Air Port to develop the futuristic skyport.

The revolutionary scheme will follow on from the company's opening of Air One, in Coventry, later this month – the world’s first fully operational Urban-Air Port for electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft and drone technology.

LBA has announced it will be collaborating with the ground breaking company and, although full details are not available at this stage, the new hub is expected "in the near future".

The main role of the off-grid, hydrogen-powered site will be to provide a space for the command, charging and loading of logistics drones, to support drone delivery services in the Leeds region. There will also be capacity for Vertical Take Off and Landing vehicle storage and charging. Urban-Air Port says it is aiming to reduce congestion in busy cities and create sustainable logistics solutions throughout the UK.

Charles Johnson, Head of Planning Development at LBA said: “This collaboration signifies an exciting development for the airport and highlights the ability of Yorkshire to lead on innovative infrastructure solutions. It’s fantastic to see how aviation and its partner industries are developing new technologies that will be essential to our future. I am looking forward to seeing how the project develops, as we continue to act as a key hub for connectivity in the UK.

Ricky Sandhu, Urban-Air Port’s Founder and Executive Chairman added: “In putting this agreement with LBA in place, we are getting ahead of the curve for the next wave of logistics and infrastructure. We are looking forward to developing an ultra-compact, rapidly deployable, multi-functional operations hub with facilities for vehicles providing aircraft command and control, charging/refuelling, cargo, and passenger loading. This will result in a future with less vehicles on our road and more sustainable cities.”

Urban-Air Port has begun building its first Air One vertiport for passenger air taxis and logistics drones at a site in Coventry, which will be officially opened at an event on April 25.

Backing that scheme Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said:“Cleaner, inter-city flight technology is vital not only to reducing emissions, but to better connecting remote communities, from small towns in the UK to isolated settlements all around the world. As we build back greener from the pandemic, initiatives like the government-backed Air One project will help us develop the infrastructure needed to make our dreams of flying taxis a reality.”

The Coventry scheme is billed as the "world's smallest airport" - and the company is hoping to replicate the zero-emission facility around the globe. The site includes a 46-metre-diameter steel-framed dome, which will house a platform lift to be used for take-off and landing by logistical drones.

Earlier this year Mr Sandhu said the Coventry scheme placed the UK "as the world's leading player in advanced air mobility".

"Our technology will enable Coventry and other cities around the country and the world to decarbonise by enabling safe adoption of cleaner mobility solutions," he said.

"It is a model we hope to replicate across the country as we enter a net-zero age," he added.

The company has also been in discussions with West Midlands Police about how hubs could provide drone bases for 'policing the sky'.