UK Launches Electric Air-Taxi Project That Could Change City Travel Forever

A pioneering project to test the future of electric air travel in the UK has been launched, focusing on an air-taxi route between Oxford and Cambridge. Over the next six months, the initiative will evaluate the technology and the commercial and operational feasibility of regional electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL).

The OxCam Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) Corridor demonstrator project is designed to build a “robust business case” for the wider rollout of eVTOL services. Supporters believe the project could play a direct role in advancing the government’s ambition to boost regional connectivity, particularly across the Oxfordshire–Cambridge corridor, a hub for research, innovation, and economic growth.

The announcement follows the Civil Aviation Authority’s release of its eVTOL Development Model, a regulatory framework aimed at enabling commercial eVTOL flights across the UK by 2029.

Several major industry players have joined forces in this effort, including Skyports Infrastructure, Bristow Helicopters, NATS, Vertical Aerospace, and Oxfordshire County Council. A key milestone will be a piloted demonstration flight of Vertical Aerospace’s VX4 prototype, planned from Skyports’ Bicester Vertiport next year. If successful, this would mark the first piloted passenger eVTOL flight in the UK, with its findings feeding into simulations, desktop exercises, and further demonstrations.

Industry leaders expressed optimism about the project’s potential. Duncan Walker, CEO of Skyports, described it as “truly innovative in its pragmatic, end-to-end approach.” Meanwhile, Laura Peacock, head of innovation at Oxfordshire County Council, emphasized its wider impact, calling it “a chance to demonstrate how innovation can be harnessed not just for economic growth, but for real societal and positive environmental impact.”