Virgin Atlantic is exploring whether it could launch a flying taxi service as part of a partnership with Bristol-based Vertical Aerospace. Several companies have promoted the idea of autonomous "flying taxis" that could pick passengers up from rooftops in city centres and take them wherever they would like to go. Virgin Atlantic's suggestion is slightly tamer. It has proposed that an eVTOL aircraft could pick people up from a city such as Cambridge and fly them to a major airport such as London Heathrow. Vertical Aerospace says its VA-X4 craft will be able to carry four passengers and a pilot up to 100 miles, as well as being emissions-free and quieter than a helicopter. In fact the company claims it will be "near silent" when cruising. It has already partnered with American Airlines and Avolon, an aircraft-leasing company. But more lavish visuals of air taxis carrying passengers from one skyscraper to another would require new air-traffic control technology, public acceptance of more aircraft in cities, improvements in automation and regulatory change that could be a decade away. On Thursday, Vertical Aerospace announced plans for the company to be floated on the New York stock exchange after a merger with Broadstone, in a deal valuing the company at $2.2bn (£1.6bn).
