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World’s first flying taxi soars above Dubai

September 27, 2017 at 11:03 am

Autonomous aerial taxi

The world’s first flying taxi took to the sky above Dubai on Tuesday, agencies have reported. Made by a German company, the Volocopter is a multi-blade helicopter which carries two passengers.

Officials in Dubai had said that it was their ambition to begin trials of the electric service by the end of 2017. It is the authorities’ aim to implement a fully operational pilotless flying taxi service by 2022. The taxi is still to undergo a five-year test period by the emirate’s Road Transport Authority and Civil Aviation Authority before it comes into full service, said Newsweek.

A video showed the test flight of the taxi from an airstrip just outside Dubai’s city limits. As it banks and turns, the drone taxi soars in front of Dubai’s iconic skyline and the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa. With a maximum flight-time of 30 minutes, the Volocopter has high safety specifications, including 18 separate motors for its rotors that guarantee a safe landing should any of them stop working.

Read: Dubai flies into the future with new air taxis