Central Asia's first air taxi has taken to the skies in Kazakhstan. The V2000 Prosperity model lifted off from Alatau City in the Almaty region before a crowd of spectators, completing a ten-minute unmanned test flight monitored from the ground.
The test marks Kazakhstan's effort to join a small group of countries exploring urban air mobility through electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, known as eVTOLs. The project is being developed by Kazakhstan's Alatau Advanced Air Group in partnership with companies from China, South Korea, Italy and the United States.
Total investment in the development of urban air mobility infrastructure in Alatau City is expected to reach around €260 million.
“For us, this is more than a demonstration of new technology,” says Alisher Abdykadyrov, chief executive officer of Alatau City Authority. “It represents a transition toward a new model of urban development, where innovation, digital transformation and advanced mobility solutions become a new economic sector.”
Testing the technology
