ASONE Park and Open Skies Network Announce DronePort Plans in Cornwall

DronePort Plans Revealed for North Cornwall Airfield

A new aviation partnership in north Cornwall could bring the county’s first DronePort and a future flight campus to St Merryn, accelerating long-standing plans for development at ASONE Park.

ASONE Park and Open Skies Network have announced a strategic partnership to deliver the project at St Merryn Airfield, part of a wider vision to combine aviation, technology and creative industries on a single site.

Aviation Plans Move Forward

ASONE Park, currently being developed in St Merryn, is designed as a digital broadcast and live performance campus. Plans include production studios, broadcast facilities and live performance spaces, alongside business infrastructure.

The addition of an aviation campus will introduce new transport and logistics capabilities, creating opportunities for creative, technology and research-based organisations operating from the site.

Under the partnership, Open Skies Network will lead on developing the aviation campus, including the creation of a DronePort. The site is expected to support emerging technologies such as drones, eVTOL and eSTOL aircraft, alongside existing aviation activity.

A Site With Deep Aviation Roots

St Merryn Airfield has a long history dating back to the 1930s, when it became Cornwall’s first commercial aerodrome.

In 1937, the site was taken over by the Admiralty as HMS Vulture and later played a key role during WWII as the Royal Navy’s primary air training facility. After the war, it became HMS Curlew and continued as a helicopter training base until 1959.

The airfield was later acquired by local farmer Bob Partridge in 1967, going on to become the UK’s main gyrocopter training base. It also supported the restoration of classic aircraft, including ml407, the Grace Spitfire.

Today, the site operates as a Civil Aviation Authority approved maintenance facility and private airfield. Owner Jo Partridge has welcomed the new partnership.

Supporting Next-Generation Aviation

Gareth Whatmore, CEO of Open Skies Network, said:
“We are really excited to announce this partnership, which will position Open Skies Network at ASONE Park as a centre for next-generation aviation technologies.

“Cornwall is home to a growing number of Open Skies Network locations supporting the adoption of New Aviation technology for civil uses. We are delighted to add St Merryn Aerodrome to our network and it will complement existing initiatives; providing additional testing, development and operational capacity for future aviation services, such as drone delivery services we are developing for the NHS across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.”

Plans for the campus include infrastructure to support future flight platforms, allowing both commercial operations and high technology readiness level testing.

Potential uses span multiple sectors, including medical, logistics, search and rescue, agriculture, environmental monitoring and the creative industries.

Connecting Cornwall’s Aviation Network

The Open Skies team has already developed Beyond Visual Line of Sight capabilities in the region and is now working with the Civil Aviation Authority to connect the St Merryn site into its wider network.

Rob Simpson for ASONE Park said:
“Aviation has always been part of the ASONE Park masterplan. This partnership allows us to establish a new capability that will benefit both the aviation sector and the creative and technology industries we are bringing together on site. By combining production infrastructure, creative businesses and next-generation transport technologies, ASONE Park will offer a unique environment for companies working across film, broadcast, digital production and emerging technologies.”

Louis Gardener, COO of Open Skies Network, added:
“We are really excited about the potential the aviation academy has to play a key role in the region’s future flight network. The campus will provide opportunities for aerospace companies, drone and eVTOL developers, universities, research institutions and technology start-ups alike to undertake research, testing, training and commercial operations, supporting the development of critical infrastructure that will help Cornwall maintain its position as a leading international region for next-generation aviation, bringing investment and high-value jobs in the area.”

Industry Invited to Get Involved

Organisations interested in aviation activities at ASONE Park, including research programmes, flight testing and innovation work, are being invited to contact Open Skies Network.

Open Skies Network, which grew out of the Open Skies Cornwall project, is working to build a network of infrastructure, landing zones and shared airspace to support the rollout of new aviation technologies.

More information about the organisation can be found on their LinkedIn page.

📷L-R Gareth Whatmore - CEO Open Skies Network, Oli James - Director ASONE Park, Cindy Dalgleish - Managing Director ASONE Park, Louis Gardner - COO Open Skies Network, Stuart McPherson - Director ASONE Park and Rob Simpson - Director ASONE Park celebrate the partnership