Russian unmanned air taxis already exist and are undergoing tests, but they are not yet ready for full-scale operation due to their inability to handle complex weather conditions. This was announced by the head of the Russian Ministry of Transport, Andrey Nikitin, on the sidelines of the International Youth Forum.
According to him, manufacturers of such vehicles will soon present their developments to Rosaviatsia. There, the air taxis will have to be tested and certified to confirm the safety of this new type of transport.
The minister noted that air taxis must be as safe as possible. According to his assessment, such transport could be seen in Russia in approximately two to three years.
At the same time, Nikitin did not rule out that preparation might take longer. He also mentioned a longer period – up to five years.
Earlier, "Pervy Tekhnichesky" reported that tests of an unmanned air taxi in the Samara region started in the autumn of 2025: a flight between Samara and Tolyatti takes about 20 minutes instead of approximately two hours by car, and the cost of the vehicle was estimated at 50 million rubles. At that time, the project horizon was set at 5–10 years, and regular flights were linked to flight permits and infrastructure development.
The head of the Ministry of Transport, Andrey Nikitin, had previously set a target of 3–4 years until the first experimental flights with people, citing low battery capacity and the unresolved icing problem among technological barriers. In parallel, another direction is developing – the MAI hydrogen air taxi with a vertical take-off and landing scheme, for which the North Caucasus and Krasnodar Krai were considered as the first regions of operation.