Boeing Corporation invests in the development of air taxi
The U.S. aircraft corporation Boeing has turned its attention to the promising direction of air taxi. It invested $450 million in the company Wisk Aero, which is developing such transport. The startup team creates autonomous aircraft based on an electric plane with vertical takeoff and landing. It should be noted that Wisk Aero itself is a joint project of Boeing and Kitty Hawk, the latter financed by Larry Page, one of the founders of IT giant Google.
The company notes that the funds received from Boeing will be used to expand the staff, as well as to accelerate production processes. Wisk Aero plans to build a profitable air taxi business within five years. The startup is confident that it has all the capabilities to achieve its goal and stable long-term development. One of the important things the company pays attention to in its activities is passenger safety. The Boeing Corporation helps strengthen the development in this direction, it provides its extensive base of solutions and huge resources. In addition, the concern has the certifications necessary for Wisk. The startup is actively developing its products, but close cooperation with the American Federal Aviation Administration should be established for full-fledged launch. Only after the government agency gives permission for the activity, it is possible to talk about further steps for Wisk. Also the company must get permits from other government departments.
However, it should be noted that any developer who is engaged in electric transport with vertical takeoff and landing has not yet received permission to transport passengers through automated aircrafts from the regulatory authority of the United States. According to forecasts of experts, it will take at least 5 years to develop new standardization of safety of such kind of planes. The fact is that the regulatory authorities do not have a sufficient basis to assess the level of safety of air transport for passengers.
Boeing representatives note that the investment in Wisk is a new stage in the development of aviation. Automated electric aircraft, functioning on the basis of artificial intelligence, have great potential for the industry as a whole. And Boeing, through a promising startup, wants to be one of the leaders in a nascent market. The air taxi segment is estimated to grow to $150 billion by 2035. Several companies are developing eVTOL aircraft here, and the number continues to grow.
In addition, Wisk Aero has signed a cooperation contract with Blade Urban Air Mobility. Together, the companies want to organize an air taxi service, which will include a developed infrastructure of 30 planes.
