Airbus to test out flying taxis that can be ordered using an Uber-style app THIS YEAR
Airbus has been working on a breakthrough design that will be tested this year
FLYING cars that can be summoned using an Uber-style app will appear in our skies as soon as this year.
That's according to Airbus Group's CEO, Tom Enders, who hopes the initiative will free up city roads from gridlock.
Airbus last year formed a division called Urban Air Mobility that is exploring concepts such as a vehicle to transport individuals or a helicopter-style vehicle that can carry multiple riders.
Customers could book a seat using an app similar to Uber.
And it's set to blow any driverless car technology out of the water.
Airbus CEO Tom Enders told a tech conference in Germany: "One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground."
He said he hoped Airbus would be testing flights by the end of the year.
"We are in an experimentation phase, we take this development very seriously," he said.
It's not clear how much it will cost to use the flying cars, but he said using the skies would reduce hefty costs for city infrastructure planners.
"With flying, you don't need to pour billions into concrete bridges and roads," he said.
Enders said Airbus, as the world's largest maker of commercial helicopters, wanted to invest to make the most of new technologies such as autonomous driving and artificial intelligence, to usher in what amounts to an era of flying cars.
"If we ignore these developments, we will be pushed out of important segments of the business," he said.
A spokesman for Airbus declined to say how much the company was investing in urban mobility.
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