UK sees initial 2026 air taxi, expanded drone services becoming widespread by 2030

Air taxis, drones, and other electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are expected to begin regular operation across UK skies in 2026 and ascend from there, according to a government roadmap published this week.

The UK’s Department for Transport revealed its Future of Flight action plan, which it created with industry partners to map out the introduction of eVTOL services expected to add an additional £45 billion ($57.1 billion) to the national economy by 2030. Under that framework, government and sector leaders forecast “flying taxis and routine emergency service drones should be a reality by 2028,” with initial activity beginning before then.

The plan says dramatic scaling of what is already limited enterprise drone activity will be enabled through routine beyond visual line of sight operations over the next couple years. In 2026, it says, maiden air taxi and other eVTOL services will begin, becoming habitual parts of daily life by the end of the decade.

“Crime-fighting drones and critical 999 care deliveries could all be a reality by 2030,” the project says. It also predicts “regular drone deliveries across our skies by 2027 and demos of autonomous flying taxis without pilots on board by 2030 – transforming how people and goods are transported.”

The UK has been fairly ambitious in embracing next generation eVTOL tech, with police forces using drones for pioneering law enforcement work. The National Health Service, meanwhile, has teamed up with private companies like Skyports Drone Services to prepare medical transport networks and other critical public operations. 

The government also has plans to create a UAV super-highway to enable habitual delivery and other commercial activities. It’s also relying on the UK’s Vertical Aerospace to create, certify, and manufacture nationally-produced air taxis for what’s expected to be robust passenger activity.

“From flying taxis to emergency service drones, we’re making sure the UK is at the forefront of this dramatic shift in transportation – improving people’s lives and boosting the economy,” said UK Department of Transport Aviation and Technology Minister, Anthony Browne, noting the rapid advance of tech hardware should transform that futuristic vision to reality even faster than most people imagined. “Cutting-edge battery technology will revolutionize transport as we know it – this plan will make sure we have the infrastructure and regulation in place to make it a reality.”