Air taxis take off: Korea to demo urban air mobility model

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Friday it will conduct a flight demonstration of a commercial-level air taxi model this week as part of a government project to introduce the urban air mobility (UAM) industry in the country.

The ministry will demonstrate the operation of the S-4 model built by U.S. electric aircraft manufacturer Joby Aviation at the Korea Aerospace Research Institute's aviation center in Goheung, South Jeolla, on Saturday.

The demonstration is part of the K-UAM Grand Challenge, a government-led demonstration program that will test UAM vehicle safety and traffic management capabilities for commercial services.

The deployment of the S-4, capable of carrying a pilot and up to four passengers, will mark the first use of a commercial-level UAM aircraft in the country.

The demonstration will include testing with UAM operational technologies, such as those involving flight management and air traffic, developed by a consortium formed by SK Telecom, Korea Airports and Hanwha Systems.

Yonhap