An air taxi with no passengers on board flew over Jerusalem on Wednesday as part of a drone flight experiment program aimed, among other things, at relieving heavy traffic on Israel’s road network.
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The device made by a Chinese company, a simple white cockpit supported by eight black arms equipped with propellers, took off from the helipad of Hadassah Hospital in the west of the holy city for a demonstration flight lasting a few minutes, with the two passenger seats remaining empty .
Photo AFP
According to event organizers, including the Ministry of Transportation and private drone operators, the all-electric vehicle will drive autonomously for over 35 kilometers.
Israel was among the pioneer nations in developing drones, initially for military purposes, and the army uses the devices extensively to monitor the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip and even some of its Arab neighbors.
Photo AFP
For almost three years, the Israeli National Drone Initiative (INDI) has conducted more than 20,000 experimental flights with unmanned aircraft of various sizes and is proud to be an international reference in the field.
“Our goal is to create a new ecosystem for drones,” explains Daniella Partem, one of the heads of the Israel Innovation Authority.
A number of public and private partners support this development of civil drone flights in the country.
As a public-private partnership, INDI plans to invest 60 million shekels (almost 15 million euros) in this project over the next two years.
Ms Partem welcomes national progress in air traffic management using low-altitude drones.
“Five Dollar Sushi”
“This will allow many companies to have drones operating in the same area and at the same time, thus carrying out medical transport and food deliveries at the same time, and that will allow us to “reach an economically viable market,” she enthuses .
According to the manager, the accident rate recorded since testing began is “less than one per 2,000 flights.”
“Safety and efficiency” remain the biggest challenges, notes Libby Bahat, director of the aviation infrastructure department at the Israel Civil Aviation Authority.
“When it comes to the safety of passenger transport on an aircraft, we do our best, but we don’t want to work alone,” he describes, saying that he pays attention to European or North American regulations.
“We are already seeing the use of drones by the police, fire departments or for commercial purposes for deliveries such as medicine,” says Alon Abelson, the director of High Lander, one of Israel’s drone operators.
According to the INDI, tests were carried out in particular on the transport of blood samples.
As for the price, Mr. Bahat says it’s difficult to estimate, but it will remain “expensive” if drones are used in the near future “to deliver trays of sushi for five dollars.”
Testing of flying taxis is also underway elsewhere around the world, particularly in France in the run-up to the 2024 Olympics.