Flying taxi race in the world and lessons for Vietnam

To realize the 'dream' of flying taxis, many opinions say that it is necessary to come up with a specific, methodical investment strategy that is suitable to the reality in Vietnam.

Recently, the People's Committee of Binh Dinh proposed a pilot project for flying taxis in the province, attracting renewed interest in this new form of transport.

The eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) flying taxi is an electric-powered, helicopter-like vertical take-off and landing aircraft that can carry four or five people. The vision of a flying taxi future once mentioned in the 1960s cartoon series The Jetsons, in which cars fly instead of being driven, may be getting closer, as more countries have officially joined the race.

According to statistics, there are currently hundreds of technology companies in countries around the world that are making efforts to develop this type of vehicle with the belief that flying taxis will gradually replace traditional, outdated means of transport.

Overair's electric taxi Butterfly prototype in California is being tested. Photo: Overair

With the breakthrough from technology, in the past decade, propeller-powered drones have shown an amazing transformation and a vision is about to become a reality in big cities like: Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and New York (USA). And recently, the UK Department for Transport issued a plan to have the first eVTOL in the sky of London, with the target as early as two years from 2024.

Realizing the potential of this new “land”, many technology companies are accelerating to reach the finish line soon with many aircraft models being born and being tested. Supporters of flying taxis believe that this is a cleaner alternative to jet planes burning fossil fuels to carry passengers. Although many countries in the world have invested in this type, in reality, no place is operating commercially due to lack of legal basis.

To soon realize the "dream" of flying taxis, the US Federal Aviation Administration has recently issued regulations considered to be the final regulations on the operation of flying taxis and their operators. Mr. Mike Whitaker - the head of this agency once emphasized that "flying taxis will be the first new type of aircraft of mankind after 80 years since the invention of helicopters".

However, the current concern is that this type is integrated from modern technology, with many outstanding features, the production cost is still expensive (some models cost more than 1 million USD). Accordingly, the issue of payment for flying taxis will be difficult for low-income people to meet, only suitable for people with high incomes. Although there is no exact figure, it can be seen that, with the competition between manufacturers, along with a clear legal basis, the price of flying taxis can completely meet the expectations of the majority of people.

In Vietnam, Binh Dinh recently developed a pilot project for flying taxis. The Ministry of Transport later responded that it supports localities in researching and implementing suitable and safe means of transport, including flying taxis, to create an advanced and modern means of transport to build image and develop tourism .

However, according to experts, when Vietnam develops this type of vehicle, it needs to have its own set of technical standards for flying taxis. This set of standards is related to flight safety, safety with flying equipment that meets strict technical standards. Accordingly, this takes a lot of time and needs to be researched by leading experts. In particular, Vietnam needs to learn from the experience of some countries such as the US and some European countries, and refer to the standards according to the international framework.

In addition, testing flying taxis requires some conditions on technical infrastructure. To set further goals with flying taxis serving commercial purposes, management agencies need to assess the opportunities, scale, and market potential of the flying taxi industry. Thereby, determining the capacity and competitiveness of Vietnam to come up with a specific and methodical investment strategy.

According to transportation experts, flights of this type must have fixed flight routes, especially aviation safety issues need to be considered very carefully. As Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thien Tong - former Head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering of Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology recommended , "it is necessary to plan the air routes of flying taxis like setting up a bus network on the road. That is the air highway, the air bus of each city. Passengers go to the flight points to choose the appropriate route for themselves."

Although in Vietnam, investment in this type is just the beginning, there are no regulations on management and exploitation of business activities and transportation by this type of taxi. Accordingly, the problem is that the research and implementation of putting flying taxis into operation, as well as other types of transportation, needs a roadmap to ensure safety and sustainability with careful, scientific and strict steps.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/cuoc-dua-taxi-bay-tren-the-gioi-va-bai-hoc-kinh-nghiem-cho-viet-nam-365183.html