Autonomous air taxis could soon take flight in Houston – Houston Public Media

Wisque

Wisk Aero has partnered with the Houston airport system to bring autonomous aircraft to the Houston area. California-based Advanced Air Mobility and Houston Airports have signed a memorandum of understanding to bring air taxis to Houston. The partnership identifies and evaluates possible port locations at Houston airports, such as Bush, Hobby and Ellington.

Houston Airport Director Jim Szczesniak says air taxis are designed to travel from one Houston airport to another.

“You know, a large population, a lot of traffic, and so this is designed to be able to fly over that traffic. And so, all of these markets that have a large population, that are spread out, with traffic that’s a problem, are kind of the hot markets where it’s going to start,” Szczesniak said.

Wisk says the 6th generation aircraft is similar to a helicopter, landing and taking off vertically before moving forward. They are entirely electric, have no combustion engine and are less noisy. The company says that while the taxi is autonomous, a human supervisor oversees flights from the ground.

Wisk CEO Brian Yutko says Texas is quickly becoming the leader in advanced air mobility.

“Connecting suburbs to Houston’s airports, business centers and major tourist destinations through autonomous, sustainable air transportation will create a new form of urban mobility and have enormous impacts on the economy and workforce work, supporting the growth of the Houston area,” Yutko said.

The airport system and Wisk will take the next year to develop infrastructure and routes for the service. Earlier this year, Wisk announced a similar agreement with Sugar Land Regional Airport.