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Airbus Wants To Test Self-Flying Car by End of 2017

Executives claim “air taxi” could reduce gridlock and improve major city transportation options.

Airbus wants to improve metropolitan transportation options with the use of a self-flying “air taxi,” which could be in testing by the end of this year. Reuters reports the company announced the development of the self-flying car at the DLD technology conference in Munich, with the goal of going off the ground before 2017 comes to a close.

“One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground,” Airbus chief Tom Enders told attendees, according to Reuters. “If we ignore these developments, we will be pushed out of important segments of the business.”

The aircraft is being developed by Urban Air Mobility, a division of the French manufacturer founded in 2016. The division has quietly been working on several different projects to increase transportation options in the world’s megacities, including the self-flying car project. Named “CityAirbus,” the initiative calls for helicopter-like aircraft to autonomously fly passengers between destinations within a city.

Artistic renderings envision an electrically-powered drone-like aircraft, with multiple propellers used to fly passengers between destinations. While the first aircraft would require pilots to operate the “air taxis,” Airbus projects additional technologies under development would allow the aircraft to be autonomous shortly after launch.

“Given today’s technological and business constraints, most smart city concepts completely ignore flying,” explains Vassilius Agourias of Airbus Helicopters on the manufacturer’s website. “That’s why we’re convinced that this represents a truly disruptive opportunity for Airbus.”

Airbus is not the only ones considering how to utilize the sky to improve inner-city transportation options. In 2016, Uber released a white paper outlining their investigation of on-demand flight options for city travelers.

[Photo: Airbus]

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