COP28 in UAE: Air taxis set for a flight into a green future

COP28 in UAE: Air taxis set for a flight into a green future

The first flying taxis will wing into Paris for the Olympic Games next year if the German company Volocopter’s plans remain on schedule. Two years later, Dubai skies will be buzzing with these battery-powered flying machines. And soon, these small helicopters will revolutionise air travel and the travel industry.

Austrian company Flynow has joined the race for electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for urban mobility. One of their prototypes has been drawing enthusiasts outside the Science and Technology Hub at the COP28 UAE in Dubai.

What’s unusual is the absence of a pilot. It’s not uncommon in Dubai where the Metro trains run without drivers. Flying taxis are basically drones which fly from one point to another.

Flynow has received regulatory approval with certification from the European Agency for Space Aviation. In 28 months, the Salzburg-based company expects to roll out the cargo version, said Yvonne Winter, the chief operating officer and co-founder of Flynow.

“We start with the cargo version, which can carry 200kg payload. It will be the most efficient, most silent, most affordable configuration for transporting goods from A to B,” Winter told Gulf News.

The Flynow aircraft, similar to NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity with