Boeing is betting big on the future market for small air taxis. The US aircraft manufacturer is investing 450 million dollars (398 million euros) in the development company Wisk Aero. The money is to be invested, among other things, in the preparation of production, as the companies announced.
According to the current status, the small aircraft from Vitsk will be able to transport two people, with a range of around 40 kilometers and a speed of up to 160 kilometers per hour. It flies with electric propulsion and autonomously without a pilot on board. For safety, the machines should also be able to be controlled remotely from the ground and will have a landing parachute installed.
German companies also active
Vitsk is a 2019 joint venture between Boeing and aircraft developer Kitty Hawk, funded by Google co-founder Larry Page. In recent years, Page has built up several companies that develop small flying machines.
Air taxis are developed by several companies, including Volocopter and Lilium from Germany. The big Boeing rival Airbus is also working on a model. It is still unclear how quickly air taxis will be approved by the Behrden and how cost-effective the business model will be for their operation. (dpa-AFX/gem)
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