TECNALIA's Air Taxi starts its industrialisation phase thanks to the company UMILES

• UMILES is the greatest supplier of unmanned aerial systems services in Spain, and TECNALIA has transferred them their patent with the aim of maintaining a long-term relationship to continue developing the Urban Mobility sector.
• TECNALIA presented the Air Taxi back in 2019, being the first in Spain to be able to transit around cities autonomously. The Air Taxi has been designed to transport one person and cover urban distances of 15 kilometres.

26 October 2021. The urban mobility of the future has its eyes set on the skies. Vehicles are expected to be seen flying across cities around the world as an alternative to land transport within the next decade, both for the transport of people and goods. In fact, the “air taxi” business is expected to reach some 32 billion euros by 2035 according to a study by Porsche Consulting.

Back in 2019, TECNALIA presented the first Air Taxi designed in Spain, a prototype created to transport one person or loads of up to 150 kilograms, with a flight range of 15 minutes and covering a distance of 15 kilometres.

Today, TECNALIA’s Air Taxi starts a new strategic phase together with UMILES, the greatest supplier of unmanned aerial systems services in Spain. After transferring the patent, TECNALIA expects to maintain a long-term relationship with the company to continue developing the Urban Mobility sector. The Air Taxi is now entering its industrialisation stage, under the name UMILES New Concept by Tecnalia.

The flight height will reach between 100 and 300 metres and could potentially reach 800 metres, always guaranteeing the safety standards and complying with the applicable law. It is made up of an aerodynamic cabin moved by four drones which are placed on the upper and lower part of the cabin, thus enabling its flight. In short, it is a new aircraft concept, that can scale up to carry more passengers, depending on the integration demanded by each city and service.

About TECNALIA

TECNALIA is the largest applied research and technological development centre in Spain, a European benchmark and member of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance. We work with companies and institutions to increase their competitiveness, quality of life of people and achieve sustainable growth.

We do so thanks to people who are passionate about technology and committed to building a better society.  Its main areas of action are: digital transformation, smart manufacturing, energy transition, sustainable mobility, urban ecosystem, and personalised health.