Flying Taxis: Fiction or Reality? From Tests to Commercial Flights

The device, resembling a large battery-powered drone, accommodates five people, takes off vertically, and moves significantly faster than ground vehicles. Developers claim that such flights will become commonplace, and the current tests are in the final stage.

Russia is also actively developing unmanned technologies. As reported by Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin, tests of unmanned passenger vehicles will begin in the next one to two years, initially in unmanned mode.

Currently, the key tasks are to refine federal aviation regulations and technologies for safe air traffic.

The Samara region has become one of the pilot regions where infrastructure for the development of unmanned aviation systems is being created. In Tolyatti, they plan to place landing pads, and in the future—organize commercial flights that will reduce travel time between Samara and Tolyatti to 20 minutes. Russia is betting on creating a full production cycle for unmanned vehicles and developing scientific-production centers.

Safety remains a priority when implementing innovations. In the near future, significant work lies ahead on certifying the vehicles and training external pilots.