Fancy a quick air taxi trip across town?

Fancy the idea of catching an air taxi helicopter for a quick trip across town?

The reality may be far closer than you think.

German urban air mobility (UAM) pioneer Volocopter has completed the first test flights with its 2X aircraft in Seoul, South Korea.

It was the first-ever crewed public test flight of a fully electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) air taxi in South Korea.

It was a milestone in Volocopter's plans for introducing air taxis globally and was overseen by the Korean Ministry for Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT).

The five-minute test flight took place at Gimpo International Airport, covered approximately 3 kilometers, reached a maximum altitude of 50 meters and maximum speeds of 45 km/h.

Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter, said: "With MOLIT's comprehensive K-UAM roadmap, South Korea is well positioned to achieve the goal of commercializing UAM by 2025.

"We are extremely honoured to conduct the nation's first crewed public eVTOL test flight and prove yet again that the future of air taxis is here and now with Volocopter's aircraft.

"As the pioneers of the UAM industry, we look forward to working closely with friends and partners from both the government agencies and private sectors to make UAM a reality in South Korea."

German Ambassador to South Korea Michael Reiffenstuel said: "South Korea and Germany have enjoyed a close relationship for more than a century.

"We are connected by a common experience of a divided nation and strong ties in trade, education, and technology. We strongly welcome deepened cooperation in new sectors such as digitalization, e-commerce, and urban air mobility."

Seoul is the second city in Asia that Volocopter has conducted a test flight following the first successful public flight trial over Singapore's Marina Bay area in 2019. 

Volocopter is scheduled to conduct another public test flight at Incheon airport on November 16.

See www.volocopter.com