German advanced air mobility company Volocopter says it has conducted South Korea’s first crewed air taxi test flight in public as part of the country’s push to launch commercial services in 2026.
Volocopter revealed it flew its S2 electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) craft earlier today at Gimpo International Airport, the first public demonstration of a crewed air taxi vehicle in the country. The company said the flight lasted a total of five minutes, covering around three kilometers. It noted the aircraft reached a top speed of 45 km/h, and a peak altitude of 50 meters above ground.
The trial flight was part of an event hosted by South Korea’s Ministry for Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MLIT) called “Open the Urban Sky.” It came just a month after MLIT announced its intention to introduce commercial air taxi services by the end of 2025, start testing automated flights in 2030, and seek to authorize pilotless operations by…
