Fed up with traffic jams? Flying taxis to take to the sky in mid-2020s
Fed up with traffic jams? Imagine a world
where your taxi takes to the skies and lands on top of your office building,
recharges and sets off afresh.
That’s the vision of Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of
Britain’s Vertical Aerospace, which is set to raise $394 million in a merger
with a blank-cheque New York-listed company, and who says his aircraft will be
flying by the mid-2020s.
And he's not alone. Some of the world’s most high-profile
engineers and airlines believe Vertical is onto something with its plan for
zero-emission mini-aircraft to
almost silently take four passengers through the skies for up to 120 miles (193
kms).
American Airlines, aircraft lessor
Avolon, engineers Honeywell and Rolls-Royce, as well as Microsoft’s M12 unit
are investing in the merger, which is expected to complete by the end of the
year.
Fitzpatrick, who also set up OVO Energy, Britain's no.3 energy
retailer, said Vertical flights between London's Heathrow airport and its
Canary Wharf financial district will take 15 minutes and cost 50 pounds ($68)
per passenger.
That potential is attracting airlines’ attention. More than 1,000
VA-X4 aircraft have been pre-ordered by customers.
Interest in the zero-emission aircraft comes at a time when
aviation companies are under mounting pressure from investors to help
decarbonise the sector and boost their environmental, social and governance
scores.
“We are going to sign deals. We're finding the appetite and the
demand from airlines to be really strong,” Fitzpatrick told Reuters.
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