Hyundai partners with UK startup on urban air-taxi infrastructure

LONDON -- Urban-Air Port, a British-based start-up, has partnered with Hyundai Motor Group to develop the infrastructure required for when flying cars take to the skies to ferry around people and goods.

The project, based in Coventry, in central England, will demonstrate how air taxis will work in urban centers.

From November, visitors to Coventry will be able to see what a flying car airport looks like and see a passenger-carrying drone and an operational electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle on the landing pad.

Urban-Air Port was selected by a government program aimed at developing zero-emissions flying and new air vehicles, winning a 1.2-million-pound ($1.65-million) grant to help fund the temporary installation of the airport in Coventry city center.

"With UK government backing and Hyundai Motor Group's backing we'll be realizing the first fully operational airport in the world," Urban Air-Port founder and Executive Chairman Ricky Sandhu told Reuters on Friday.

While there has been progress on developing flying cars, Sandhu said the infrastructure was the missing piece.

"You can't get off the train or get on the train unless you get to the train station so that supporting ground infrastructure is absolutely key," he said.