It looks like a light aircraft, but inside, there's no pilot at the controls. It takes off vertically, soars through the air, and promises to revolutionize air travel. This isn't futuristic fiction, but the concrete project of the American company Wisk Aero, which unveiled its latest prototype at the Paris Air Show: a fully autonomous eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) capable of carrying four passengers.
Developed in its sixth generation, this electrically powered aircraft is designed for short trips of about fifteen minutes in urban or suburban areas. There is no pilot on board: an operator remains on the ground to supervise the flights, but navigation is handled by artificial intelligence.
The ambition is clear: to decongest cities while drastically reducing the carbon footprint of air transport. However, numerous regulatory, technical, and cultural obstacles still stand before commercial service can begin.
How do we organize airspace when different types of aircraft share it? How do we design ground infrastructure to accommodate, recharge and secure these new vehicles?" asks Becky Tanner, marketing director of Wisk.
The company aims to be operational in the United States by 2030, with pilot cities such as Houston, Long Beach, and Miami, and even a planned expansion to Kaga, Japan. The aircraft can reach 10,000 feet, but will typically fly around 4,000 feet, and fully recharges in 15 minutes.
But will the public accept flying without a pilot?
"This is a break from established practices. That's why we're aiming for safety standards that are equivalent to, or even higher than, those of commercial aviation," Tanner insists.
For its part, Archer Aviation is taking a more gradual approach with its own eVTOL, named Midnight. The aircraft retains a pilot on board, while relying on an electric motor and a simplified structure with only six moving parts in the engine, ensuring reduced maintenance and affordable costs.
"This is not a product designed for the ultra-rich. Electricity allows us to target mass use," says Adam Goldstein, CEO of Archer.
Archer plans an initial launch in the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia and Indonesia, with a major contract: the official transport of the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028.
Meanwhile, other avenues for the aviation of the future are being explored: notably hybrid aircraft, which would combine electric propulsion and traditional fuels to extend range.
With 2,500 exhibitors from 48 countries, the Paris Air Show is showcasing, until June 22, this aviation in transition, at the crossroads of ecological imperatives, the progress of artificial intelligence and the economic ambitions of a changing sector.
