MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Yandex.Taxi and the Moscow government plan to sign an additional agreement on organizing helicopter flights of the company’s service over river channels and railways within the city, the company’s press service told TASS.
"In particular, we plan to sign a separate agreement with the Moscow government. It will open the sky over the city along route lines - over river channels and railways. There are no restrictions in the suburbs," Yandex.Taxi press service said.
Director General of BP Technologies Alexander Okhonko told reporters earlier that test air taxi flights are scheduled to begin next year within the Moscow Ring Road in the suburbs of Moscow. "Next year, test flights will begin in the suburbs (of Moscow) and within the Moscow Ring Road zone. If the security concept and operating profitability are confirmed, then we will plan flights from the city limits to the zone of international airports. This is the most massive and profitable segment," Okhonko said.
Earlier on Wendesday, Russian Helicopters and Yandex.Taxi signed an agreement on the development of the air taxi system at MAKS-2019. Director General of BP Technologies Alexander Okhonko and Director for Business Development at Yandex.Taxi Alexey Fedotov signed the agreement.
According to CEO of Russian Helicopters Andrey Boginsky, the prototype of VRT 500 helicopter presented at MAKS-2019 air show will be used as air taxi in 2020. "We are working on the helicopters that are presented here and the ones we have presented at HeliRussia. I hope that next year there we will have a prototype for starting qualification work [for air taxi], we are moving towards it," Boginsky said.
Yandex press service told TASS that the first regular helicopter flights in Russia after launch will be available for order through mobile app. In the future, the Yandex.Taxi application will have a new option - at certain sections of the route customers can use helicopters that performs regular flights instead of a car. "Today city helicopter transport is not exotic, it is well-developed in many cities, for example in New York, Toronto, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro," Director for Business Development at Yandex.Taxi Alexey Fedotov said. "For us, this project is a way to show Yandex.Taxi ‘smart’ algorithms that help people manage their time efficiently, and launching regular helicopter flights will significantly reduce the price for each user," he added.
Yandex.Taxi partners in developing the first urban air routes in Russia will include developer of helicopter technology BP-Technologies (part of Russian Helicopters) and NITA - provider of technical solutions in the field of air traffic management.