Pilotless air-taxis coming to Houston
HOUSTON - If the idea of skipping the traffic while trying to get to the airport sounds appealing, those willing to embrace the future, may be in luck. The Houston Airport System has signed an agreement with a California company to explore bringing autonomous air taxis to shuttle people around.
If you need a clarification, they would be pilotless passenger drones helping get people to their flights, on time.
Houston Airports Director Jim Szczesniak says conversation about the air taxies was unavoidable, "We know that they're coming, we're just not exactly sure 'when'."
California-based Wisk Aero is one of several companies developing autonomous, electric air taxis, for passenger use.
While the travel-model is still being tested and certified, the agreement with Houston Airports begins the process of exploring how the taxi-service could work, here. Specifically; Where would it be located; how would it share air space; how would people access it? For Houston, it's another tool to combat sprawling traffic congestion.
"This is going to allow us to have pick-up points throughout the Houston region, and bring you into the airport quickly, and fly over traffic," says Szczesniak.
Among potential users, at Hobby Airport, after the announcement, reaction is mixed.
"I don't know if I trust it," says one woman. "I would get on a normal air-taxi, but not one that's driverless, or pilotless."
Another traveler had other concerns, "Weather, around here, changes often enough that I wouldn't trust a drone or a pilotless airplane in turbulent weather."
Szczesniak says they are all concerns to be considered, "We know that those folks are going to be in this market, and we want to make sure that we have proper coordination with them, so that we can do our best to make sure that we take this new technology and execute as best we can in Houston."
To be fair, a lot of passenger jets are already flown by computer, and military drones are routinely piloted from half-way around the world. Wisk Aero says a human ground-based supervisor would monitor every flight.
The company already has a similar agreement with Sugar Land, so this newest development is an expansion of that plan.
Flights could begin as soon as late 2027.