South Korea Tests System for Controlling Air Taxis, Hopes to Launch Airport Service as Soon as 2025

Last year, South Korea announced a roadmap to begin commercial urban air travel by 2025.

South Korea Tests System for Controlling Air Taxis, Hopes to Launch Airport Service as Soon as 2025

Photo Credit: Reuters

A pilot flew a two-seat model made by Germany's Volocopter at Seoul's Gimpo Airport

Highlights
  • The transport ministry estimates such services could cut travel time
  • South Korean designers showed off a model of their own drone aircraft
  • Other technology demonstrated at the event included imaging equipment
Advertisement

South Korea demonstrated a system for controlling urban air mobility vehicles (UAM) on Thursday, which it hopes will serve as taxis between major airports and downtown Seoul as soon as 2025, cutting travel time by two-thirds.

Last year, South Korea announced a roadmap to begin commercial urban air travel by 2025. The transport ministry estimates such services could cut travel time for distances between 30-50km (19-31 miles) from an hour by car to 20 minutes by air.

"As UAM is expected to become one of the common means of transportation that citizens use in daily life, it is absolutely imperative that we test and try out UAM services in various environments," Transport Minister Noh Hyeong-ouk, who attended the demonstration on Thursday, said in a statement.

A pilot flew a two-seat model made by Germany's Volocopter at Seoul's Gimpo Airport to test and demonstrate its control and coordination.

Powered by helicopter-like rotors for vertical take-offs and landings, the craft demonstrated can be piloted or operate autonomously without one.

When passengers are onboard the UAMs, a pilot must man the craft to ensure safety, a transport ministry official said, adding it would also aid acceptance by the general public.

South Korean designers also showed off a model of their own drone aircraft. A full-sized prototype is expected to begin test flights by next year, with the aim of developing an operational five-seat version, according to the transport ministry.

Other technology demonstrated at the event included imaging equipment to detect and track the aircraft, and patented lighting systems for "vertiports" where drones land and take off.

A trip from Incheon International Airport to central Seoul, is expected to cost around KRW 110,000 (roughly Rs. 7,000) when commercial journeys start in 2025 — more expensive than premium taxis — but to drop to around KRW 20,000 (roughly Rs. 1,260) per trip after 2035 when the market matures, the ministry said.

Thursday's test flight determined the air traffic control system that manages domestic and international flights at airports can also monitor and manage UAM aircraft, the ministry said in a statement.

"This shows that the existing air traffic operations can be conducted in harmony with UAM operations," the statement said.

© Thomson Reuters 2021


Is JioPhone Next the 4G phone for everyone that Reliance promises? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Sberbank Unveils Second Supercomputer Christofari Neo to Meet Internal, External AI Demand
Samsung Galaxy S22 Series May Get Snapdragon 898 Processor in India, US Variant Could Pack Exynos Chipset
Share on Facebook Gadgets360 Twitter Share Tweet Snapchat Share Reddit Comment google-newsGoogle News
 
 

Advertisement

Follow Us

Advertisement

© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2024. All rights reserved.
Trending Products »
Latest Tech News »