Flying-taxi consortium teams up with Jeju to run test flights on island

A flying-taxi consortium of SK Telecom, Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) and Hanwha Systems is building a transportation system for its urban air mobility (UAM) project on Jeju Island.

From left: Jeju Gov. Oh Young-hoon, Hanwha Systems CEO Eoh Sung-chul, SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang and Korea Airports Corporation CEO Yoon Hyeong-jung [SK TELECOM]

A flying-taxi consortium of SK Telecom, Korea Airports Corporation (KAC) and Hanwha Systems is building a transportation system for its urban air mobility (UAM) project on Jeju Island.

The goal is to begin Korea’s first commercial operation of the air taxi service by 2025, said SK Telecom.

The K-UAM Dream Team consortium on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jeju provincial government for a pilot project to run test drives of the air taxis on the island. The consortium will establish vertical take-off and landing ports and a traffic management system to connect Jeju International Airport with major tourist spots in the region with UAMs.

SK Telecom explained that Jeju Island’s strength as a popular tourist attraction would make the service more accessible to the larger public.

SK Telecom, KAC and Hanwha Systems have been working together for UAM business since last year and formed the K-UAM Dream Team consortium in April with the Korea Transport Institute and Korea Meteorological Institute.

For the pilot project on Jeju, SK Telecom will provide the UAM service, which is being jointly developed with Joby Aviation, a Santa Cruz, California-based transportation company. The telco will also oversee the development and management of the mobility platform service and network system.

KAC will establish the take-off ports for air taxis and provide a transportation management system utilizing its flight safety management infrastructure. Hanwha Systems, a defense and IT service company, will develop, operate and manage the air taxis, while the Jeju government will provide the site and administrative support for the program.

“We will turn Jeju Island, an eco-friendly tourist attraction, into the main game changer for the future mobility service by growing the region into an innovative base for UAMs,” said SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]