Soon the price will be comparable to that of regular taxis.
A 10-minute flight on an air taxi in Shanghai, China, will cost 59 yuan (about $8.3) in the future.
According to Shanghai television, this plan was proposed by the company Vertaxi at the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE).
The vehicle presented is an electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities. The company noted that in 10 minutes on the air taxi, one can fly across half of the metropolis, for example, from the Hongqiao transport hub in the west of the city to the central business district of Lujiazui. In comparison, the same trip by car would take about 40 minutes.
According to the developer's estimates, initially, the fares will be slightly higher than those of regular taxis, but they will drop sharply as air transport routes expand. The price for short-distance flights will start at 50 yuan ($7), while intercity routes will start at 100 yuan ($14). The five-seat cabin of the air taxi can also accommodate five standard suitcases approximately 50 cm in length.
In recent years, China has been actively developing the so-called low-altitude economy - the field of practical applications for drones and vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. According to forecasts from the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the market value of this sector will reach 1.5 trillion yuan ($210 billion) by 2025, and by 2035, this figure could reach 3.5 trillion yuan ($490 billion).
