Flying taxis are on the horizon at Singapore Airshow

In Singapore, the question being asked is not if there will be flying taxis, but when.

They’re not taking off just yet, but flying taxis are taking center stage at Singapore’s Air Show. The event is considered Asia’s largest aerospace and defense exhibition. The week-long event attracts thousands of visitors.

Phil Swinsburg is the director of Asia Pacific Operations & Business Development for Wisk Aero. He’s keen to demonstrate the comforts on hand for passengers, at what the company describes as the world’s first autonomous four-passenger air taxi. “A roller bag goes in the ‘frunk,’ which is our front trunk, and then personal items can be fitted here for each person that is sitting,” he explains. Swinsburg is convinced flying taxis are a reality about to happen, and Asia is where it will happen first.

“So, Wisk was created to enable safe, everyday flying for everyone. What that means for us is to be able to reduce the friction of everyday travel around urban areas, and we believe that the urban air mobility, or advanced air mobility, is how we can achieve that,” he says.

While the Wisk’s air taxi has the same standard features as other vehicles, like baggage trunks, phone chargers, and cup holders, Swinsburg says, “So, this aircraft is fully electric and fully autonomous. That’s the real difference for Wisk.”

Wisk Aero, a subsidiary of the U.S. airplane manufacturer Boeing, is still in the process of having its air taxi cleared for flight. Like many of the top air mobility companies at the Singapore Air Show, though, industry enthusiasts say they’re inching closer.

“We are now on the cusp of this. There’s really five to six players in the world, and this is becoming a reality,” says Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. “And that isn’t just the technology’s progressed, and businesses have evolved, but regulation is evolving at pace. Infrastructure is evolving at pace. Everything is ready for this to be a transformative moment in aviation.”

Simpson also stresses the importance of air taxis to the region, claiming it’s the obvious way for the cities here to grow.

This article and video were provided by The Associated Press.