By the end of next year, the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus corporation will conduct the first tests of a prototype of an unmanned aerial taxi.

According to the developers by 2030 the number of urban population will be 60% of the total population of the Earth and the creation of such taxis will be able to save megalopolises from traffic jams.

“We believe that global demand for this category of aircraft can support fleets of millions of vehicles worldwide,” said the project executive Rodin Lyasoff. “In as little as ten years, we could have products on the market that revolutionize urban travel for millions of people.”

He says that most of the technology needed to create the machine, which will be called Vahana, is ready. In the near future, developers plan to focus on the development of a reliable and sensitive system for avoiding obstacles. Airbus has already signed a contract with the University of Singapore, which has allowed its campus to be used for testing.

Besides Vahana, for two years specialists of the company have been developing another project for an air machine – CityAirbus, which will carry passengers over short distances. Unlike Vahana, it can carry several people.