TAMPA, Fla. — After months of preparation and more than a year of consideration, Tampa International Airport gave Florida's first-ever "air taxi" a successful first test flight.
Onlookers joined TPA officials, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and officials from FDOT and the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority to watch the all-electric aircraft takeoff and complete an 8-minute flight at Sheltair Aviation TPA.
"Tampa International Airport has always embraced innovation and futuristic planning, and we’ve already identified a potential site for urban air mobility as a part of our Master Plan," TPA CEO Joe Lopano said in a statement. "This technology has the potential to transform the aviation and transportation industry, and we’re excited to partner with Volocopter as we introduce and visualize the amazing possibilities that lie ahead."
TPA announced that it would launch the first flight of an urban air mobility (UAM) aircraft at a large U.S. airport. So-called (and so nicknamed "air taxi") because of its focus on short-to-medium-range flights and its design to transport people and goods to different destinations within the same city.
The UAM — electric-powered and developed by German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter — is intended to help reduce road congestion and the airline industry's carbon footprint. TPA first publicly announced its preparations for an "air taxi" system in August 2023 via a post on the company's Instagram.
"TAMPA BAY ARE U READY FOR FLYING AIR TAXIS??! 👀 We’re hard at work to prepare for Advanced Air Mobility which involves cutting-edge aircraft (known as eVTOLs) that would function like helicopters - picking up and dropping off passengers between TPA and landing pads alllll across Tampa Bay! 😱" said the post, "This change is still in the initial planning stages, but is expected to transform transportation within the next several years! 🤩 SO COOL SO FAST SO FUTURISTIC."
Though some commenters were excited by the announcement at the time, many others responded by bemoaning the city's lack of an affordable rail system or other forms of public transit.
The aircraft, which largely resembles a huge drone, can reach top speeds of 80 mph, though it will most likely travel slower to remain comfortable to passengers. Due to current battery technology, each craft can only fly for about 12 miles, a range that will most likely determine the placement of the landing pads intended for air taxis throughout the city.
The air taxis are expected to be expensive during their first year of use, but officials say they hope to get the cost for riders down to Uber and Lyft ride levels by 2027.