Boeing invests $450 mln in flying taxi developer Wisk

PARIS, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Boeing Co (BA.N) is investing a further $450 million in Wisk Aero to support development of future pilotless flying taxis, the U.S. aerospace giant said on Monday.

California-based Wisk, owned by Boeing and Kitty Hawk – the air vehicle firm launched by Google co-founder Larry Page – is one of dozens of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) makers but differs in focusing its efforts on autonomous flight.

“Our view is that is the big strategic advantage of Wisk, going straight to a self-flying aircraft, building those principles in at every level of the design and development,” Boeing’s Chief Strategy Officer Marc Allen told Reuters.

The decision to leapfrog a generation of piloted eVTOL aircraft being developed by independent startups and some aerospace groups entails a later entry to service than the target date of 2024 envisaged by most competitors. Read more