In the “world’s first flying TAXI” that will fly passengers to major cities in just five years

THE ‘world’s first’ flying taxi has been unveiled and passengers could be using its services in just five years.

AM NEXT is the second hybrid model from Slovakian company AeroMobil and consists of half supercar and half light aircraft.

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Reportedly, switching between modes takes less than three minutes.

The company hopes commuters using its proposed hail-and-ride service will see “significant” time savings when traveling distances between 100 and 500 miles.

It claims that passengers can enjoy “single-seat convenience and door-to-door convenience to work, rest, play, or just enjoy the view.”

However, details on the cost of the air taxi and the prices charged to potential users are not yet available.

The AM NEXT is a continuation of AeroMobil’s flying car unveiled at the International Paris Air Show at Paris-Le Bourget Airport in June 2017.

This model was designed as a two-seater luxury passenger vehicle capable of flying up to 223 miles per hour.

On the road, it reaches a top speed of 99 km/h.

It comes with a hefty price tag of between €1.2million and €1.5million (£1million to £1.26million) and owners must hold a pilot’s license to fly it.

The specifications of the AM NEXT have not yet been announced.

Patrick Hessel, CEO of AeroMobil, said: “We are excited to announce AeroMobil’s second revolutionary model of the real flying car.

“After AM4.0, the world’s first flying production car, AM NEXT will disrupt and democratize the regional travel market.

“It will provide a better, and in many cases previously unavailable, solution for trips in the 100- to 500-mile range.”

AeroMobil estimates the value of the ride-hailing service market in North America alone at around £53 billion.

Hessel added, “AeroMobil will bring AM4.0’s technical and regulatory proof of concept, as well as its premium branding, to AM NEXT’s mass-market ride-hailing service.

“Concurrent with the announcement of AM NEXT, we are touring the prototype of the two-seat AM4.0 flying car in the United States, with public viewing and private appointments for investors, buyers and operators.”

AeroMobil said its flying car technology can use existing infrastructure, including more than 10,000 runways across the US, and complies with existing automotive and aviation regulations.

It also claims that it has a significantly longer range than eVTOL vehicles (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles).

AeroMobil vehicles have been developed over more than 10 years by a team of engineers and designers from high-end car manufacturers BMW, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes Benz and Ferrari.

Experts from leading aerospace companies such as Lockheed Martin, Rolls Royce, Airbus and Diamond Aircraft were also involved.

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