Wisk, Boeing's flying taxi, targets the market for shuttles between cities and airports

His mission ? Make flying accessible to as many people as possible thanks to reasonable prices. Wisk, Boeing's flying taxi, has great ambitions, hoping to take the lead in the emerging market of new aerial urban mobility. For the American giant, the development of electric or hybrid vertical take-off and landing devices opens “a new chapter” in the great history of aeronautics, with more personal and more accessible travel.

For Boeing, which is fully committed to this path, the aim is to cover the commercial aeronautics market, from start to finish, with high-capacity aircraft (737 Max, 787 Dreamliner, 777X) and an offer of new lower capacity, dedicated to shuttles between major cities and airports. The manufacturer is giving itself a new source of growth and access to resources, innovations and agile development methods that could be transposed within its historical activities: construction of airliners, military aircraft and spacecraft. "We combine the best of both worlds, that of Boeing with its teams and its experience in developing major programs, and that of innovation and the agile working methods of a start-up", summarizes Sébastien Vigneron, head of engineering and development program Wisk.

It was in January 2022 that Boeing entered the capital of Wisk, by injecting 450 million dollars, making the young shoot, resulting from the merger between Zee Aero, created in 2010, and Kitty Hawk, the company of Larry Page , the founder of Google, one of the best-funded players in advanced air mobility (AAM). The American giant was convinced by "the commercial potential of the 5th generation aircraft" developed by the start-up. "With this investment, we reaffirm our confidence in Wisk's business. (...)Boeing and Wisk have been at the forefront of AAM innovation for more than a decade and will continue to lead years to come," said Marc Allen, Boeing's Chief Strategy Officer at the time.

The manufacturer wants, via this strategic partnership, to take advantage of the development of critical technologies in the field of batteries, autonomy and electric motors. The aircraft manufacturer has also not integrated Wisk and its teams (700 people) into its scope, the young shoot remaining an independent subsidiary.

Eighteen months later, Boeing took 100% of the capital of Wisk, buying back, at the beginning of May 2023, the balance of the shares held by Kitty Hawk. The start-up, which made the first flight of an electric and autonomous passenger EVTOL in the United States in 2017, has also taken a new step, with the construction of the 6th generation flying taxi. It is this 6th generation Wisk, exhibited at the Paris Air Show, which will be subject to certification by the American Aviation Safety Agency (FAA). A green light expected “soon”, confines itself to saying Sébastien Vigneron.

“To develop Wisk, we applied the design and certification methods used for recent Boeing aircraft, with the same rules and the highest standards in order to demonstrate the safety of the autonomous flight system,” explains Sébastien Vigneron. The 6th generation aircraft is larger than the previous generation, with a spacious cabin capable of accommodating four passengers, suitable for people with reduced mobility. The autonomous and 100% electric device, equipped with high voltage lithium-ion batteries, powering the electric motors, is assembled in a new factory built in Mountain View, California. The site is large enough to accommodate two assembly lines.

Wisk is mainly targeting the markets of North America and Asia Pacific, and finally Europe, where it wants to offer a car-sharing mode of transport, complementary to traditional taxi services. The company is both the manufacturer of the flying taxi and its operator. As such, it will not sell the aircraft but will operate them as airlines do. The American flying taxi, which has a range of 150 kilometers, flies between 185 and 222 km/hour at an altitude close to one kilometer, is mainly aimed at the shuttle market between major cities and airports. As well as freight transport in its cargo version and medical evacuation missions.

"Wisk will fly between vertiports in predefined and secure air corridors and will liaise with ground stations employing supervisors and customer service representatives, who will be able to manage multiple Wisks at the same time and interact with passengers, as well as with control towers,” says Sébastien Vigneron. The aircraft embeds all the advanced vision, communications, cybersecurity, radar and software systems as well as an anti-collision system.

The start-up is discussing with several airlines around the world, and has signed a letter of intent with Japan Airlines, which is studying the marketing of multimodal transport tickets (transfer plane ticket to Wisk). The company is also in discussions to forge a partnership with the business helicopter company Blade, based in Manhattan, and at JFK airport in New York. Within seven years, Wisk plans to carry 290 million passengers in twenty major cities around the world. A very ambitious objective that the young shoot intends to meet.