Trials of zero-emission flying taxis travelling from city centres and across country to international airports are to begin in Britain within two years.
Heathrow, London City and Bristol airports are to work with Nats, the air-traffic controller, and two start-ups – Vertical Aerospace, which is building prototypes of a VX4, four-passenger flying taxi; and Skyports, which is developing plans to construct so-called vertiports, helipad-like stations capable of recharging the vehicles.
Vertiports for the initial trials will be located at private aerodromes. The VX4 aircraft will be operated by Virgin Atlantic.
They are to be helped by aerospace experts at Atkins, the consulting engineer, as well as the Cranfield Institute and Warwick Manufacturing Group, a department of the university, a specialist in electric batteries, and the Connected Places Catapult, funded by the state-backed UK Research and Innovation.
The consortium has won an initial £9.5m from the government’s Future Flight Challenge. Initial flights into Heathrow and Bristol will start in the spring of 2024 from as-yet-undisclosed vertiport locations.
The unveiling of the consortium will take place today at the Farnborough Airshow.
