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Miami-Dade Aviation Department will work self-flying air taxis into its existing planning for airports, airspace management, and infrastructure, Wisk says.
PARIS—Wisk Aero, the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) arm of Boeing, is eyeing Miami and Kaga City, Japan, as some of the first markets for its self-flying air taxi.
At the Paris Air Show on Monday, Wisk announced a flurry of new agreements with the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) and University of Miami’s Engineering Autonomy Mobility Initiative (MEAMI), as well as the city of Kaga and Japan Air Lines Engineering Co. (JALEC). The collaborations are intended to prepare those markets for the introduction of Wisk’s Generation 6 air taxi.
The Boeing subsidiary aims to fly paying customers before the end of the decade. Becky Tanner, chief marketing officer of Wisk, told reporters at the air show that the service will likely come at a variable cost to customers, similar to Uber’s use of surge pricing during rush periods. But Tanner emphasized that it will be “accessible” and not simply a service for the wealthy, as some critics have contended.
The four-passenger Gen 6 flies autonomously and is supervised by ground personnel, who can take control as needed. It has a 72 nm range with reserves and 110-120 knots cruise speed, making it suitable for short-hop flights. Its ability to take off vertically eliminates the need for a runway, opening up operations in urban hubs. Wisk hopes, for example, to ferry passengers around the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane, Australia.
The company in 2024 revealed its first U.S. operational plans: a network connecting the Greater Houston area with operations based in Sugar Land, Texas, where it is working with the city to set the stage for the Gen 6. The company will explore adding a vertiport—an electrified takeoff and landing hub—to Sugar Land Regional Airport (KSGR), which manages about 75,000 operations per year.
Wisk has similar plans for Miami. It and MDAD are eyeing Miami International Airport (KMIA), Miami Executive Airport (KTMB), and Opa-locka Executive Airport (KOPF) as potential vertiport sites. Wisk will provide “technical guidance” for the electrified hubs, as well as other infrastructure and flight procedures. MDAD, meanwhile, is baking self-flying air taxis into its airport development and airspace management efforts. Wisk CEO Sebastien Vigneron told reporters the partnership will further explore air taxi routes.
University of Miami researchers will also have a role to play, with plans to study self-flying technology, operations, regulations, safety, and business opportunities in the U.S. Wisk will gain access to the school’s resources and facilities, and it plans to apply for grants for joint projects.
On the other side of the world, Wisk is firming up its partnership with Japan Air Lines, with which it is researching air taxi certification, maintenance, overhaul, and airspace integration. The carrier’s engineering subsidiary will tackle integration from the perspective of regulations. Beyond that, it will conduct an analysis of markets, supply chains, manufacturing, and social acceptance of autonomous flight in Japan.
Compared to Miami or Houston, Kaga’s population of about 62,000 people is small. But the Japanese government has designated it a national strategic special zone, which according to Kaga City mayor Riku Miyamoto gives it more flexibility to study the technology compared to large cities such as Tokyo or Osaka.
“Because the city has been selected as a national strategic special zone, we are able to carry out bold regulatory development in Japan,” Miyamoto said in remarks accompanying the announcement. “There is a high degree of freedom as a research and development field, and one-stop arrangements are possible.”
The pair of landmark agreements come as Wisk looks to ramp up flight testing. Dan Dalton, Wisk’s vice president of global partnerships, said it is eager to explore the eVTOL Integration Pilot Project (eIPP) created by a White House directive last week. That effort is expected to comprise five trials across three years.
The company’s Gen 6 preproduction prototype has yet to fly. But Vigneron said the vehicle is wrapping up ground testing and “almost ready” to hit the skies. He added that the company is building a second flight test vehicle to further expand the test campaign.
The FAA expects to certify autonomous air taxis after the Gen 6’s piloted competitors—such as Archer Aviation’s Midnight and Joby Aviation’s S4—begin flying. The challenge is one facing regulators worldwide.
China, for example, in April approved passenger carrying operations for EHang’s EH216-S—the first autonomous aircraft in the world to reach that milestone. But EHang’s early operations will be restricted to operations like out-and-back sightseeing flights. Its routes must be private, trips nonscheduled, and tickets sold directly rather than through a charter service. Those limitations preclude the company from launching a full-fledged air taxi service.
