South Korea tests system for controlling air taxis

A pilot gets off a "Volocopter 2X" drone taxi during an Urban Air Mobility Airport Demo event at Gimpo Airport in Seoul, South Korea, November 11, 2021. REUTERS/Heo Ran

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea demonstrated a system for controlling urban air mobility vehicles (UAM) on Thursday, which it hopes will serve as taxis between major airports and downtown Seoul as soon as 2025, cutting travel time by two-thirds.

Last year, South Korea announced a roadmap to begin commercial urban air travel by 2025. The transport ministry estimates such services could cut travel time for distances between 30-50km (19-31 miles) from an hour by car to 20 minutes by air.