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São Paolo – Zero-emissions journeys may soon be possible in Latin America’s biggest city thanks to the introduction of electric air taxis. The new helicopter-glider hybrids could revolutionise transport in São Paolo, which is currently clogged with 8.6 million vehicles.

The Brazilian budget airline Gol has signed a deal with the Dublin-based firm Avolon to introduce zero-emission air taxis to São Paolo. According to Avolon boss Dómhnal Slattery in an article for the British newspaper The Guardian, the introduction of the so-called VA-X4 eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft will be a gamechanger for commuters in São Paolo. 

When the taxis, which look like a cross between a helicopter and a glider, are delivered in late 2024 or 2025, the fleet could be hundreds strong. It will help to tackle air pollution in the city of 12 million inhabitants where, according to the article, in the late 1990s the congestion became so bad that authorities had to introduce a number plate rotation system for vehicles.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, the head of the British aerospace manufacturer that produces the aircraft, Vertical Aerospace, told The Guardian that the flying taxis would be ideal for Brazil’s biggest city, helping to “transform how we travel around high population density cities that are clogged with traffic”.