We’ve been hearing of them for years and seeing bits and pieces displayed at dedicated events (mostly CES), but when will we see them in action? The upcoming AIRTAXI World Congress in San Francisco is finally breaking the ice with what promises to be a show that will go down in history.
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are gearing up to be a unique stage for AAM (advanced air mobility) as well, with several eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) companies preparing for pioneering flights at the event. The Osaka World Expo 2025 in Japan is another huge event where guests will get the chance to see air taxis in action and even experience air taxi rides.
Fortunately, we don’t have to wait that long to see electric air taxis in action. The most highly-anticipated event in the industry is coming up in just a few months in the US. The AIRTAXI World Congress made its debut in 2021 in London. The second edition took place at the Raffles Istanbul Hotel in Turkey, bringing together more than 300 participants.
The third edition is promising to be truly spectacular. It will take place at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from October 2 to 5, with unprecedented attendance and a vertical air show claiming to be the largest of its kind.
The event officials are expecting more than 400 key players in the industry, ranging from eVTOL manufacturers and infrastructure developers to major airports, airlines, and city officials. The greatest thing about this AAM event is that it reunites representatives from all over the world. Future air mobility is not only about cooperation between all players involved in the AAM ecosystem but also about international cooperation.
This year’s edition is particularly significant because operators are closer than ever to certification. Commercial air taxi services are expected to launch in just a couple of years in multiple parts of the world. In the meantime, one of this event’s goals is to bring regular people closer to the AAM phenomenon.
This is also why the event includes a Vertical Airshow that promises to be spectacular. With so many eVTOL manufacturers participating, the live flight demonstrations can only be truly impressive. And there’s more good news. The event officials recently confirmed that all eVTOL performances will also be live-streamed so that they can reach a much wider audience. In other words, you don’t need to travel to San Francisco for this year’s greatest vertical airshow.
Airline representatives from all over the world will meet one on one with US city officials, eVTOL makers (including EHang and Volocopter), vertiport developers (Skyports, Ferrovial), and aviation giants like Rolls Royce and Airbus. A team from NASA’s Air Traffic Management – eXploration (ATM-X) will also attend AIRTAXI’23.