There was a time when thinking about flying cars felt like a distant dream. Well, not anymore. The world’s first airport that will allow ‘flying taxis’ to take off and land in the busy areas of cities has opened up in the U.K, according to World Economic Forum (WEF).
“The important thing to demonstrate as soon as possible is how these vehicles that everyone’s heard about – flying taxis, flying cars, cargo drones, logistic drones [will work]…Will the skies be congested? Will they be really busy with drones?” said Ricky Sandhu, the founder of Urban Air-Port. “The answer is no, so long as there’s coordinated infrastructure on the ground. And so we are quite literally paving the way by putting the infrastructure in place.”
Currently, it is used to launch drones into the air. However, the business that created it, Urban Air-Port, is working on adapting it for flying taxis by 2024. In the next five years, it intends to develop 200 comparable centers around the world.
How will the airport for flying taxis work?
The undertaking is a collaboration between Coventry City Council and Urban Air-Port to exhibit how urban air mobility may help to lessen pollution and traffic congestion. The airport can deal with electric drones and air taxis, and a full-sized replica of Hyundai‘s SA-1 air taxi was used as a demonstrator by Supernal, Hyundai’s air mobility unit.
Air taxis are still in the early stages of development and require government authorization before they can transport people. However, it may happen soon. Hyundai hopes to launch the Supernal, a projected family of electric air vehicles by 2028. In the next five years, Urban-Air Port plans to establish 200 vertiports worldwide. It has already received about $25 million in funding, including from a Canadian firm.
