Yes, indeed, the future is now. Malaga Airport air taxi can become very soon reality according to latest local news.
Malaga airport has signed up for a project at the forefront of the development of new air mobility in Spain.
Specifically, it involves drones that can transport up to five passengers in a considerably short time to their destination.
Do you dare to get on one? Imagine travelling from Malaga airport to Marbella in just 15 minutes, with no traffic jams and a bird’s eye view. It sounds incredible, but this could become a reality in a few years’ time.
The prototype is in fact already in the air and is currently undergoing test flights in Jaén, Spain.
Test flights will begin in mid-2025
Initially there will still be a pilot on board, but in the medium future, they will be autonomous drones.
The projects currently being carried out at Malaga airport include a study of the safe coexistence of traditional and new air navigation.
The second is the OperA project. In it, experts study how the airport can be connected to mobility on board aircraft in urban centres, practically door-to-door.
This project also includes the construction of a “Vertiport” at Malaga airport, which is equivalent to a heliport for drones, with high-power electrical charging points. The possibility of building an adjacent terminal or using existing terminals is also being studied.
Accessible new urban mobility accessible
For urban journeys, 100% electric, vertical take-off and landing vehicles will be used. As mentioned before, initially these drones will be manned by a pilot. But in the medium term, it is planned that they will become autonomous.
The goal is to make this new urban mobility accessible not only to the rich.
Your Malaga Airport air taxi
Imagine you arrive at Malaga Airport, check in at the Vertiport area and get into a Malaga Airport air taxi that brings you any location on the Costa del Sol or to your hotel in the city or to your home in the countryside
To give you an idea about flight times, flights from Malaga to Marbella will take between 15 and 20 minutes and to Granada around 50 minutes.
Test route between Malaga and Granada
The first test operations will take place between Málaga and Granada and are scheduled to start in the second half of 2025. The corridors for these operations are already being designed to be compatible with traditional flight paths.
Within three or four years, the first passengers should be able to board.
Lilium Air Taxi
The German firm Lilium is in charge of developing what will be the first passenger drone to fly in Malaga, with a capacity for six passengers. Founded in 2015 in Munich, this is one of the leading companies in its sector.
- Lilium Jet is the world’s first all-electric jet-powered five-seater air taxi.
- Capable of traveling up to 300km in just 60 minutes, with zero operating emissions.
- The Lilium Jet is a 100% electric vehicle that takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter.
- It seats four to six passengers, has a cruising speed of 280 kilometres per hour and a range of about 250 kilometres.
- It reaches a cruising altitude of 3,000 metres and produces a noise footprint seven times smaller than similar aircraft.
