Hyundai’s flying taxi, which will operate in Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), is set to begin trial runs in July 2024. The Ministry of Transportation has issued a warning that operators need to heed during the trial implementation.
According to Antara, Wednesday (3/7/2024), the Ministry of Transportation has approved the trial of Hyundai’s flying taxi. However, the trial must not interfere with the airspace used by conventional aircraft.
“The providers or operators must ensure that the airspace used does not overlap with the airspace for manned aircraft,” said Sigit Hani Hadiyanto, Secretary of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation at the Ministry of Transportation.
This restriction is imposed because flying taxis are essentially unmanned aerial vehicles or urban air mobility (UAM) platforms, which differ significantly from conventional aircraft.
Therefore, the flight mechanisms must be segregated from the airspace used by conventional planes.
“In principle, the current policy for unmanned aerial vehicles or UAM, drones, or flying taxis, is that they must operate in segregated airspace,” he added.
He also mentioned that the regulation of UAM is still a subject of ongoing debate. Many countries and relevant authorities are conducting further studies on the operational aspects of flying taxis.
“ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) is still conducting studies on this matter, and we are referring to their guidelines,” he explained.
Sigit further stated that the use of flying taxis in IKN will also require operational permits, similar to those needed for unmanned aircraft, which cannot operate in just any airspace.
Therefore, he hopes operators will be prepared to coordinate effectively with local airports and navigation service providers to avoid disrupting airspace.
“Permits will be granted if all aspects are deemed to meet the applicable requirements and safety assessments,” said Sigit.
Previously, the Ibu Kota Nusantara Authority (OIKN) targeted the proof-of-concept (POC) trial of flying taxis for IKN to be conducted in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.
“Hyundai from South Korea plans to conduct the POC for flying taxis in July,” said Mohammed Ali Berawi, Deputy for Green and Digital Transformation at OIKN, in Jakarta on Monday (27/5/2024).
Ali mentioned that for the July trial, Hyundai will involve the Samarinda City Government, utilizing Aji Pangeran Tumenggung Pranoto Airport for the flying taxi trials.
Last year, OIKN had conducted a flying taxi trial at Budiarto Curug Airport in Tangerang, using a two-passenger capacity model from the Chinese company EHang.
“The flying taxi to be tested in Samarinda can accommodate five people, making it larger in capacity,” said Ali.
