Efforts to prepare for urban air mobility (UAM) services in South Korea will be accelerating this year, as officials in Seoul plan the launch of a two-phase series of air taxi trails in and around the capital.

According to information reported in the English-language Korean Times, the municipal government of Seoul is readying a two-step approach to testing UAM vehicles and facilities in the city ahead of the expected introduction of air taxi services in 2025. 

The initial round will focus on an envisioned route for regular short-hop flights between the capital’s main financial district of Yeouido on the Han river, and the popular Jamsil district about 10 kilometers to the west. A series of wider-ranging paths will be examined after that.

South Korea’s national government has repeatedly  stated its intention to incorporate battery-powered craft as both air taxis and longer-distance UAM service providers in an effort to modernize its transport system and unclog the road networks in Seoul and around the nation. 

Read: South Korea’s Jeju Island plans air taxi UAM services in 2025

Reflecting that broader ambition, the latter stage of trials will be broadened to areas outside the capital.

The first round of activity will commence in the second half of this year, and will select UAM aircraft business partners who will help with ground work for operational trials slated for early 2024. Those will designate exact flight routes, communication networks, and noise pollution and safety criteria for actual test air taxi activity.

At least a couple of those corridors have already been designated as obvious for future air taxi runs. They include UAM flights from spots within Seoul to and from Gimpko International Airport, and aerial transport even farther west linking the city of Incheon and its airport to the capital.

Also under exploration will be location and designation of future vertiports, either using existing structures or new facilities built exclusively for air taxi activity.

Read: A $119 price among new Paris Olympics air taxi details revealed

South Korea has been dynamic in preparing for the arrival of next-generation UAM aircraft, and has worked closely with sector companies including Joby, Volocopter, EHang, and homegrown air taxi developer Plana. 

UK-based vertiport designer and builder Skyports Infrastructure has also been active readying the peninsula for looming service launches.