Wisk Aero, a company that operates in the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) sector and produces electric air taxis, has announced in these hours the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airservices Australia, the government agency that controls Australian air traffic and manages associated services in the country. This agreement lays the foundation for the integration of air taxi services and other automated flight technologies within the national airspace. An agreement coincidentally close while the manufacturer of electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) air taxis aims to launch its four-seater autonomous aircraft in Australia before the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane in 2032. And in fact in its press release the company reports that "The agreement with Airservices Australia underlines Wisk's commitment to the region and ensures that the parameters for the integration of these critical systems into the airspace are established before Wisk enters the market".

Wisk Aero has emerged over the years as one of the most promising manufacturers of green transport aircraft for urban connections in congested cities, so much so that it has attracted the interest of Boeing to the point that it is now a wholly owned subsidiary of the aerospace giant. But it still has a long way to go. For starters, the industry will have to overcome technological hurdles such as producing batteries powerful enough to allow multiple trips on a single charge. And it will be tough to convince both regulators and the public that such an urban transport aircraft is safe; even tougher when the vehicle is self-driving.

Fortunately, Australia has a history of aviation innovation and a vision for the future that includes advanced air mobility, said Catherine MacGowan, VP APAC and Air Operations at Wisk. Rob Sharp, interim CEO of Airservices Australia, echoed her sentiments: “The mutual benefit of this agreement is the sharing of knowledge that will help us both better understand the needs and challenges of the industry", leading to the redefinition of a Flight Information Management System (FIMS), which is key to improving safety and integrating advanced air mobility into our skies.

Below, a presentation of Wisk's Generation 6 self-driving eVtol air taxi: