Korea Demonstrates 1st Air Taxi

Korea conducted a demonstration of a flying taxi on Thursday before starting commercial services in 2025 connecting the capital's airports with downtown Seoul.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conducted the test flight at Gimpo International Airport using the German Volocopter, a two-seater multi-propeller copter. It took off vertically and flew at an altitude of 50 m for around 3 km.

A test flight of the prototype of Korea's own urban air mobility, the five-seater Optionally Piloted Personal Air Vehicle, was also screened during the event. The developer, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, plans to have it ready by 2022.

The choppers will connect the capital's two major airports and downtown Seoul, shortening travel times to less than 20 minutes.

Visitors were also shown how passengers arriving at the airport will be able to set a destination on an app and board the air taxi after a quick inspection.