Flying taxis are ready to take off – and Brisbane is in their sights
Once promised in science fiction, flying taxis are expected to become reality within months and Australia is among the candidates to host them.
Flying taxis could swoop into Australia in time for the Brisbane Olympic Games after a tech giant publicly demonstrated the first of its electric aircraft.
Uber and its partner Joby Aviation held a public test of the unique flying machine in the Dubai desert on Thursday, revealing plans to launch a commercial air service with the futuristic vehicles later in 2026.
The flying taxi service will begin transporting passengers between four skyports in Dubai before expanding to New York and Los Angeles, followed by cities in the UK and Japan.
But one of the aviation firm’s top executives said the 2032 Olympic Games was also on its radar and the company was in talks with Australia’s Civil Aviation and Safety Authority about certification.
The announcement comes more than five years after Uber nominated Melbourne as one of the first launch pads for a flying taxi service before pulling out of the project.
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The US firm announced plans to revive its air travel ambitions in partnership with Joby Aviation as the technology and cities had evolved significantly, Uber autonomous mobility operations global head Annie Duvnjak said.
“Getting to the sky is certainly the place we envision next,” Duvnjak said.
“As cities have gotten bigger and congested… this is a great opportunity to have different options to save time, to have people take different ways to get to airports or to work.”
When launched, the flying taxis will appear within the Uber app as a time-saving option, with rides to and from the aircraft’s launch pad built into each journey.
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An hour-long road trip could be reduced to an 11-minute flight using the aircraft, according to Uber estimates, and is expected to command a similar fee to an Uber Black ride.
“We can’t wait to fully take off publicly, but it’s really closer than you think,” Duvnjak said.
The aircraft features six propellers and four batteries for redundancy, is capable of flying at speeds of up to 320km/h and promises to be significantly quieter than a helicopter.
While the vehicle is undergoing certification in the United Arab Emirates and US, Joby Aviation chief product officer Eric Allison said the company was also discussing it with Australia’s air transport regulator.
Additional work would be needed for CASA to approve the novel aircraft, he said, but the company could have flying taxis operating in Australia in time for the Brisbane Games.
“Whenever there are big events that have a global stage, there’s opportunity,” he said.
“I certainly think that’s something we will be paying close attention to.”
* The reporter travelled to Dubai as a guest of Uber.
-with AAP
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