Electric air taxi hopeful wants to be in the sky in time for Brisbane Olympics

Electric aircraft maker Wisk Aero is pushing to have its autonomous air taxis operating in Australia ahead of the 2032 Olympic games in Brisbane.

The US company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with key stakeholder Airservices Australia, the federal organisation that provides services to the aviation industry such as air traffic control and fire fighting.

Autonomous air taxis are still a long way from being seen in Australia’s skies, however, and the company declined to say where or when the first of these aircraft might appear. 

The MoU outlines the work that needs to be done to ensure they could be feasible, covering how uncrewed aircraft might work in Australian national airspace, what “initiatives” will be needed to do that, and create discussion forums to figure out the details.

Wisk must not only convince Airservices Australia that flying uncrewed aircraft through controlled airspace is safe, but also regulators and the public. 

The company says Australia is a key market for doing this, alongside New Zealand where it ran the first tests of an autonomous aircraft in controlled airspace.

One of the key attractions is that Airservices Australia is already planning a Flight Information Management System (FIMS) to allow it to share flight information with air traffic control, traditional aircraft, and autonomous aircraft to make sure uncrewed flights operate safely. 

Part of the MoU covers what airspace procedures for autonomous aircraft, digital flight approvals, and time and trajectory-based operations should look like, and how these procedures should operate in the air. 

“Australia has a history of aviation innovation and a vision for the future that includes advanced air mobility,” says Wisk regional vice president Catherine MacGowan. 

“We’re grateful to share that vision with Airservices, and to contribute to an air traffic system that meets the needs of AAM services so we can bring safe, efficient air travel to communities in this region.”

The Wisk aircraft’s range of about 144 kilometres on a single charge highlights a challenge for battery-electric aircraft in that it can only do one trip over the longer distance area it may be more suited to.

The company is one of several vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers emerging over the last few years, and one of at least half a dozen looking to establish themselves in Australia.  

HeliSpirit and Avair are aiming at a 2026 launch date; Australian-designed AMSL Aero also expects to have a certified hydrogen-powered aircraft available in 2026.

Australian start-up Wilbur Air is planning to run 100 battery-electric aircraft developed by Spain’s Crisalion Mobility, and FlyOne says it will be selling $350,000 battery-powered aircraft to private pilots next year. 

Only Wisk is aiming to combine low-emissions with uncrewed flights, as yet.

Uber Australia made some big claims in 2019 about making Melbourne its third air taxi market by 2023, but those dreams crashed and burned during the pandemic, during which the company sold off its aviation division to Joby Aviation.