Japan Airlines (JAL) plans to enter the flying car business in fiscal year 2025, Report informs referring to Nikkei.
The airline will start a passenger transportation service connecting airports and tourist destinations in Mie Prefecture, among other areas. It plans to develop the business into one that can carry people around various locations as a taxi does.
JAL will use the aircraft of Volocopter, a German startup in which it invested in 2020. It is a two-seater drone-type aircraft called eVTOL, or electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, with a cruising range of 35 km. It can fly at up to 110 km per hour.
Ultimately, JAL envisions a taxi-like business that can carry passengers anywhere within a medium distance range.
Flying cars do not require a runway for takeoff and landing and can move flexibly. They are expected to help eliminate traffic congestion in cities with limited room to expand road infrastructure.