The Cora aircraft has been in development since 2010. The company so far has obtained experimental airworthiness certificates both from the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States.
Development of a viable air taxi service has been a hotly pursued goal for several major companies in the U.S. and elsewhere in recent years, due to a combination of factors. Airways used for key commercial aviation purposes have become congested. Infrastructure problems have worsened. The lack of high-speed rail transportation in the U.S., accidents and delays plaguing traditional rail systems, and snarled traffic on many highways have fueled efforts to come up with practical alternatives.
Uber has been working with Bell Helicopter on an autonomous air taxi service that it hopes to roll out in the U.S. by 2025. The companies earlier this year previewed a model aircraft at CES.
Vahana, an all-electric autonomous air taxi from Airbus affiliate A3, earlier this year completed a successful 53 second test flight at the Pendleton UAS Range in Oregon, reaching a height of 16 feet.
Fully autonomous air mobility is still about a decade away, according to Zach Lovering, project executive for Vahana at A3.
"Today we feel we've discovered many of the key constraints to enabling these type of vehicles," he told TechNewsWorld. "Our main focus now, besides product development, is working with regulators to ensure a path to certified, self-piloted operation."