South Korea plans to begin commercializing air taxi services in 2025, which will connect city areas and suburbs, according to the Transport Ministry’s urban air mobility roadmap.

The government said it will first finish the development of an air taxi unit that can transport individual passengers. The ministry added that the UAM units will be initially designed to travel 30 to 50 kilometers between city centers and suburbs. The destinations will be approximate to other public transportations, it said.

The government said it could also develop units that travel long distances, as well high-occupancy air units that can travel with multiple passengers.

In 2024, a year before commercialization, the government will test run air taxi units that travel between Incheon International Airport, Gimpo International Airport, Cheongnyangni Station, and Coex.

When urban air mobility service becomes fully commercialized, travel time and other social expenses will be reduced by 70 percent, according to the ministry.

The ministry expects the size of the global UAM market to reach 13 trillion won ($10.8 billion) by 2040.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)