SEOUL -- Hyundai surprised many with the reveal of its urban air taxi, S-A1, earlier this year. The auto giant has partnered with Uber Air to bring their vision of electric flight to the urban air mobility (UAM) scene. The company, with the goal of commercialization of UAM by 2028, announced a partnership with Incheon Internation Airport Corp. The partnership involves Incheon studying the feasibility of using aircraft like the S-A1 as airport shuttles and work to establish the necessary infrastructure. Hyundai, for their part, will build the vertiports and transit hubs that will connect UAM to other forms of public transport. The partnership also includes KT Corp., which will set up the communications infrastructure and promote UAM as a mobility service.
Hyundai and partners hope to align their work with the Korean UAM Roadmap, which was announced in June. The roadmap outlines a path for UAM commercialization. Part of the roadmap is the Korean UAM Grand Challenge, a public-private joint project studying the viability of vertiports. South Korea as a whole has embraced the prospect of urban air mobility. Megacities like Seoul are prime locations for the implementation of air taxi technology and the country seems to recognize the potential in the industry to help decongest urban centers.