Spain is planning to launch two demonstration flights, connect four airports in tourist hotspots. (Image: Getty)
Incredible new air taxis are set to revolutionise four Spanish airports popular with Brits.
Airport air taxis will soon become a reality, according to the latest local news, with travel from Malaga to Marbella anticipated to take just 15 minutes – with no traffic jams and a bird’s eye view.
It involves drones that can transport up to five passengers in a considerably short time to their destination. Initially there will be a pilot on board, but eventually they will be autonomous drones.
The region of in the south of will play a key part in the airport operator, Aena’s, plans to launch two demonstration with electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL).
One of the test flights will connect the airports of Palma de Mallorca and Menorca, while the other will connect Malaga and on the mainland. The tests are set to begin at the end of 2025 or early 2026.
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The goal is to make this new urban mobility accessible to all – not just the rich. (Image: Getty)
The goal is to make this new urban mobility accessible to all – not just the rich.
This was explained by Aena’s director of innovation and customer experience, Luis Cañón, during the round table “Beyond the Airport”, held during the first day of the Global Mobility Call congress, taking place at Ifema Madrid this week.
Participants also included Juan Manuel Cordovés, chief of staff at Málaga- Airport, Óscar Lara, COO of Crisalion Mobility, and Javier Barriga, CEO of iJET Aviation.
“We want them to become a reality by late 2025 and early 2026,” Cañón stated about the EUREKA and OperA programs Aena is working on, within the SESAR program, which aims to “lay the foundations for enabling these types of operations in integration with airports and commercial operations.”
According to Cordovés, the urban air mobility market is estimated to reach around 4.2 billion by 2030, representing a global share of 30%.
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This project also includes the construction of a ‘Vertiport’ at Malaga airport. (Image: Getty)
This implies that, as indicated by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), it will become a reality in within three to five years, with European manufacturers interested and several pilot projects already underway.
In addition to passenger transport, this type of mobility can also provide benefits for other issues such as medical emergencies or cargo transport, as highlighted by Crisalio’s COO, a company specialising in air taxis for urban mobility.
This project also includes the construction of a “Vertiport” at Malaga airport, which is equivalent to a heliport for drones, with high-power electrical charging points. The possibility of building an adjacent terminal or using existing terminals is also being studied.
However, to implement these routes, coordination among all centres and industry stakeholders is considered “essential,” as well as identifying each one’s “specific needs.”
Barriga described eVTOL as a “sure bet” that will become a reality in the near future because it “takes the best from advanced technology” and other existing forms of mobility. He identified one of the main challenges as “generating demand for this type of mobility” while ensuring safety to gain social acceptance.