First of all, I have to admit that when I read and hear about air taxis, my hair stands on end, especially because of the “joy” with which people do it. When they publish articles about air taxis, they do so saying that they will start operating very soon (around the year 2022) and that it will be the panacea for urban transport.
Some analysts (Deloitte) estimate that by the year 2035 this market will be worth more than 100 billion dollars, and that it will employ almost 300,000 people. I don't know where they get these figures from, but when I see them I understand the fury that is generated in this field, in which so many want to take a piece of the cake.
I believe that the situation will be quite different and I explain my reasons.
I have worked in the aeronautical world for more than 25 years and I know very well the seriousness with which the manufacture and certification of an airplane is carried out. Airplanes are designed and built to never fall down, and last for more than 25 years (actually, they last many more years).
Making an airplane (or a helicopter) is not done by just anyone, and it is necessary to overcome a multitude of specifications of all kinds, putting Quality above all else. This is why there are so few factories that make airplanes.
Today air taxis seem to have planted them. They appear everywhere and in all countries, and I have the feeling that the prototypes they present have been manufactured with rudimentary means, and that the safety of their flight is more than doubtful.
Anyone can make a video of an air taxi idea and do some marketing work to get funding for the project. But from there to having a certified device capable of flying there is a world of difference.
I don't want to be misinterpreted. The idea of having a small device to carry a few people over short distances seems very good to me, and with the new ecological technologies it will be achieved sooner rather than later, but it will not be for the day after tomorrow.
You can see the video of a proposal at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUz_9ZFweqE
And there are many other more or less similar proposals around the world ahead
But it is clear to me that the companies that design and manufacture these devices must have the appropriate know-how to do so with the proper quality. Passengers' lives cannot be put at risk under any circumstances.
On the other hand, the air authorities must define very clearly the air corridors through which these devices could circulate and under what conditions, and a traffic control system must be created for these devices. They cannot each go when they want and where they want, because again safety is essential to avoid any risk of collision.
Air flights are safe because a series of procedures are followed from the moment a device is designed, until it is manufactured and then put into operation. Everything is regulated and controlled, and that is why we travel safely.
Any other device that flies, and even more so if it carries people, must be done safely.
Hopefully there will be air taxis as soon as possible, but safe and without polluting our environment. And that won't be until in a few years from now.
EN 
ES_ES 