Airbus's flying taxis hope to decrease urban traffic

Rush-hour traffic is a never-ending headache for commuters in urban cities. Considering that approximately 60 percent of the world's population currently lives in cities, more new projects are urgently needed to ease traffic congestion.

European aerospace giant Airbus has unveiled details on its Project Vahana, a flying Uber taxi system launched last February, which will be tested next year and is planned to be in use by 2020. According to details posted on the project's blog, the aircraft will be self-piloted and automatically detect and avoid obstacles. "Designed to carry a single passenger or cargo, we're aiming to make it the first-certified passenger aircraft without a pilot," the project's chief executive Rodin Lyasoff announced.

The team has already completed the vehicle design, developed critical subsystems and is working with external partners for the air frame. The single-passenger vehicle is being developed by A3, Airbus's Silicon Valley outpost.