Port San Antonio and Austin-based SkyGrid plan a vertiport and digital airspace for air taxis

A new partnership aims to pair infrastructure with airspace management technology

Port San Antonio has entered a multi-year partnership with SkyGrid, an Austin-based company focused on digital airspace integration, to develop an “air taxi hub” anchored by a vertiport on the Port’s Tech Port campus. The effort is designed to support future operations of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs), including autonomous concepts that would rely on highly automated airspace services.

The project combines construction work on the ground with a parallel buildout of systems intended to monitor, coordinate and deconflict traffic in low-altitude airspace around the facility. Planned capabilities include fusing data from aviation sensors and surveillance sources to generate high-fidelity situational awareness, a core requirement for scaling operations beyond limited demonstrations.

What SkyGrid brings to the Port’s vertiport plan

SkyGrid was originally formed as a Boeing–SparkCognition venture in 2018 to develop software intended to help integrate autonomous aircraft into broader airspace systems. In 2025, Wisk Aero—an advanced air mobility company owned by Boeing—announced that SkyGrid would become a Wisk subsidiary, aligning aircraft autonomy development with airspace automation and services.

At Port San Antonio, SkyGrid’s role centers on the “digital backbone” needed to manage future flight activity, including local airspace mapping, automation concepts for traffic management, and cybersecurity-related protocol work. The partnership is positioned as both an operational preparation step and a test-and-validation pathway for emerging air mobility services.

Investment and development scope

Port San Antonio’s broader advanced air mobility initiative includes upgrades to airport facilities and route planning across the region. Publicly described plans reference a combined investment package totaling $42 million, blending Port funding with state and federal grant support. The vertiport is being developed near the Kelly Field area, within the Port’s aviation footprint.

Planners have described the site as a platform for testing across different operating environments—urban, suburban and rural—reflecting the variety of use cases proposed for next-generation aircraft, from passenger transport to logistics and emergency response support.

Regulatory context: powered-lift rules are in place, certification remains the gate

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration finalized operational and pilot training rules for “powered-lift” aircraft in October 2024, establishing a regulatory framework meant to enable safe entry of air-taxi-style vehicles into the national airspace system. However, widespread service depends on aircraft certification, operational approvals, and validated procedures that can scale safely in real-world conditions.

• Vertiports require standardized operating concepts for arrivals, departures, and ground handling.
• Autonomous or highly automated operations add requirements around surveillance, communications, and cybersecurity.
• Regional route networks must integrate with existing air traffic and community considerations.

The partnership’s central premise is that advanced aircraft will require equally advanced airspace services—software, data integration, and operating rules—alongside physical infrastructure.

Port San Antonio’s initiative places San Antonio within a growing Texas competition to attract early advanced air mobility testing and investment, while highlighting that the pace of deployment will track regulatory approvals and proven safety performance.