Airbus Tests Its Autonomous Flying Taxi

From our introduction to 2016's "Uber to Challenge Airbus in the Autonomous Electric Flying Taxi Business":

As the only analysts covering the nascent as-yet-theoretical autonomous electric flying taxi market we intend to be the the go-to source for all things autonomous electric flying taxi and/or theoretical....

And the headline story from The Verge, February 1:

Airbus’ autonomous ‘air taxi’ Vahana completes its first test flight

Fifty-three seconds of glory

Airbus conducted the first successful test flight of its Vahana electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on January 31st, the aerospace giant announced. At 8:52AM, the full-scale vehicle reached a modest height of five meters (16 feet) before descending safely. The self-piloted flight only lasted 53 seconds, but it is a reminder that “flying taxi” mobility projects we hear a lot about these days, while sounding ludicrous, can’t be easily dismissed as vaporware. 

Airbus has said it wants to build a fleet of autonomous, multirotor eVTOL aircraft that can be used to fly from rooftop to rooftop in dense cities where traffic is often at a standstill. The project launched in early 2016 as one of the first pursuits of A³ (pronounced “A cubed”), its Silicon Valley-based subsidiary. (Vahana is a Sanskrit word that refers to the vehicle or mount of a god.) Since then, the company has reported regular updates, including a concept video of the user experience....MORE

Previously: 

Nov. 2017

"NASA is working with Uber on its flying taxi project" 

Sept. 2017

Dubai starts testing crewless two-person flying taxis

July 2017
Flying taxis to transport passengers in Moscow in 2018 

Here Comes Another Electric Flying Taxi Startup
October 2016
Uber to Challenge Airbus in the Autonomous Electric Flying Taxi Business
October 2016
The Effect Of Airbus' Cash Squeeze On Their Autonomous Flying Taxi Project Is Probably Nil
August 2016
"Airbus Reveals Ambitious Plan for Autonomous Flying Taxis"
Your move, Uber....