Wisk, Boeing showcase autonomous air taxis ahead of SXSW 2025, hope to launch in Texas
A Silicon Valley aviation company is collaborating with state lawmakers to introduce a new commuting option for Texans: air taxis.
Wisk Aero aims to launch fully autonomous, electric air taxis in Texas within the next decade. On Tuesday, the company hosted a demo in Austin with legislators, city officials and partners to showcase its Generation 6 aircraft. These air taxis would carry four passengers up to 100 miles to their destinations at a cost similar to an Uber.
Wisk announced in June that its first commercial market will be Texas, specifically starting in the greater Houston area.
Don't miss a moment of SXSW 2025! Sign up for our newsletter
The idea, Wisk COO and CFO Tyler Painter told the American-Statesman, is to get people to places much quicker than their usual commutes across large metro areas would take with less emissions.
"We actually want to impact people's daily lives by making it easier and better for them and more efficient to move to more places in the world," Painter said.
Here's what to know about air taxis possibly coming to Texas:
What is Wisk's autonomous air taxi?
Wisk was founded in 2010 and became a fully owned subsidiary of Boeing in 2023.
According to Wisk, its Generation 6 aircraft is the world's first autonomous, all-electric, four-seat air taxi designed for daily passenger transport.
The Generation 6 aircraft's wingspan is less than 50 feet, and the company plans for it to travel a maximum of around 90 miles.
The electric aircraft takes 15 minutes to charge and travels between 110-120 knots, which is about 126-138 miles per hour. The cruising speed for commercial airplanes is usually around 453 knots, or 521 miles per hour, and the average cruising speed for a helicopter is around 140 knots, or 161 miles per hour.
While the aircraft is pilotless and flies remotely, it is monitored live by multivehicle supervisors on the ground.
Painter said that Wisk does not want to tax the air traffic control system. That's a major selling point Wisk is emphasizing while working to have its Generation 6 certified by the Federal Aviation Administration, he said.
To accomplish this, Wisk works with Austin-based SkyGrid, a third-party startup that works to integrate advanced air mobility aircraft into national airspaces without having to go through air traffic control towers.
After a string of crashes and near misses across the country, air traffic controllers have faced increased scrutiny with aviation industry leaders calling on Congress for newer technology and increased hiring as recently as this week.
Just weeks after a fatal midair crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the Trump administration fired several hundred FAA employees, targeting primarily probationary workers. Since then, the administration unveiled a plan to "supercharge" the hiring process for air traffic controllers to address staffing shortages in control towers and ongoing safety concerns.
"We're working within the national airspaces that exist today," Painter said. "So one of the things we spend a lot of time with the FAA is helping them understand that we won't add burden to air traffic control."
The autonomous aircraft has 12 lift fans that enable it to take off and land vertically from its launch and landing sites, known as vertiports. Once airborne, the front six fans tilt forward to propel the aircraft to its destination. Painter said the aircraft combines the capabilities of a helicopter and an airplane.
The numerous propellers were created for safety and redundancy reasons, Painter said.
"You can have multiple fans, multiple propellers, go out, and it would still be able to complete and finish its mission. ... This will be a higher level of safety than the car you took to go into the Wisk," Painter said.
Painter said autonomous air travel is actually simpler than travel in other autonomous vehicles, such as Tesla's or Waymo's robotaxis. Waymo's robotaxi service launched in Austin this week on Uber.
"You're driving down the street. Somebody slams on their brakes, somebody steps off the curb, a ball bounces out," Painter said. You don't actually have those instances quite often happen in aviation. ... It's why at the core of everything we do; safety is at the baseline. Because we know that we have to earn people's trust to be here. And I think it'll be really exciting. Think about what it could mean for how much time you get back in your day."
When would Wisk officially launch in Texas?
According to Painter, the company is still waiting on approvals and certifications from the FAA.
Wisk plans to be operating in commercial markets within the decade, Painter said.
"I really look forward to the opportunity of getting from one side of Houston to the other in the same day in the near future," said Jimmy Spence, Business Development at Houston Airport Systems, at an event Tuesday celebrating Wisk.
Due in part to Wisk and the rise of advanced air mobility companies, some Texas lawmakers have started working to incorporate language and regulations regarding the emerging sector into the state's transportation code.
Advanced air mobility is a rapidly growing aviation sector that mainly refers to emerging air transportation technologies. Many aircraft in this sector are electrically powered and take off and land vertically, like Wisk's aircraft.
State Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, has filed a bill related to advanced air mobility for the past three sessions. In 2023, the Legislature passed a bill creating a committee to recommend language regarding advanced air mobility codes. Several other states, including Florida, Ohio and Oklahoma, have created language, committees or partnerships to attract companies like Wisk.
Cook told the American-Statesman at Tuesday's Wisk event that he thinks it's finally coming together due to the private sector stepping forward and partnerships with regional airports.
"It's a team effort. Legislators can do our part, but we need private industry to do their part," he said. "We have the recommendations that we need, and so the Legislature needs to get those implemented, and then get these vehicles off the ground."