Airport World - Joe Bates
Flying cabs are a step closer to reality following the successful trial of the world’s first fully operational demonstration hub for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles such as air taxis and autonomous cargo drones.
Air-One, as it was named by creator, Urban-Air Port, was located in the heart of Coventry in the UK and, with the backing of the British government and US eVTOL manufacturer, Supernal, was operational for a month.
Crime-fighting police drones and heavy cargo delivery drones the size of a single bed were among the vehicles to fly from the site during the trial, which Urban-Air boldly claims has launched the dawn of a new age of zero-emission, low-congestion urban transport.
It has even gone on record as stating that the trial has provided the blueprint for more than 200 planned vertiports across the globe over the next five years to meet the anticipated demand for the new form of transport.
According to Urban-Air Port, the advanced air mobility (AAM) market is set to take off, with forecasted growth of 9% annually to reach $1 trillion within the next two decades.
