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There was a pilot flight of a drone taxi carrying people or cargo and flying over the city. If commercialized in 2025 as planned, there will be a new urban transportation method from Gimpo Airport to Jamsil in 15 minutes, but there are many tasks remaining in each phase.
This is reporter Hyung-woo Hyung.
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18 propellers started to turn, and the aircraft with the pilot floated up within seconds.
Germany's multicopter-type two-seater drone taxi has gone on a test flight.
Drone taxis are expected as a means of urban transportation because they can easily take off and land vertically and operate at low altitudes.
You can travel from Gimpo Airport to Jamsil in 10 to 15 minutes, an average of over an hour by car.
Drone taxis range from a multicopter type with 1 or 2 seats with multiple propellers to aircraft with 5 or more seats that are shaped like an airplane but can take off and land vertically.
The Korean urban air traffic roadmap prepared last year aims to start commercial drone taxi service in 2025, remote control in 2030, and commercialize autonomous flight in 2035.
[Son Chang-wan / President of Korea Airports Corporation: We plan to build a system that can charge at the port, do maintenance business, and allow passengers to easily get off and connect the subway and airplanes to operate.]
However, there are many challenges to be solved.
Current battery technology can only operate for 30 to 50 minutes, making it difficult to travel long distances, and a control system that can safely fly between skyscrapers in the city at low altitude is also required.
[Lee Dae-seong / Director of Korea Safety & Technology Institute: The US and Europe started about 10 years ahead of us.
In order for aircraft to be developed, the parts industry must also go together.] As
competition is fierce in each country for standardization of aircraft and traffic management technology, the government is also planning to prepare systems and standards for this.
(Video coverage: Park Hyun-chul, video editing: Park Chun-bae)