Flying Taxis to Operate Over Seoul... Seoul Selects Initial Commercialization Area

[Financial News] A Seoul-specific Urban Air Mobility (UAM) service combining tourism and public healthcare has been selected as the first target for initial commercialization.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced on the 10th that it had selected Seoul as the final target area for the 2026 Regional Demonstration Project Support Program for Urban Air Mobility, which aims to develop initial UAM commercialization models based on regional demand.
Five metropolitan and provincial governments—Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, Busan, Ulsan, and North Chungcheong Province—participated in the competition. Through an expert evaluation, MOLIT comprehensively assessed each project’s feasibility, including flight conditions, infrastructure utilization, service demand, and links to public services.
Seoul proposed an integrated model linking public healthcare with tourism along the Hangang River. The public healthcare service will connect Gimpo International Airport with medical institutions along the Hangang River to rapidly transport emergency medicines and organs for transplantation. The tourism service will link major destinations along the river, allowing visitors to experience the city’s scenery from the air.
MOLIT will provide Seoul with up to 1 billion won in national funding and match it one-to-one with local funds. The support will help establish a detailed project plan and lay the foundation for initial commercialization. The funding will be used for matters required to introduce an actual UAM service, including selecting vertiport sites, developing construction plans, analyzing flight routes and corridors, and assessing radio and communications conditions.
MOLIT selected Jeju Province and Daegu–North Gyeongsang Province last year as regions eligible for budget support. It is gradually supporting the development of UAM services tailored to regional characteristics, including assistance this year with project planning and vertiport design.
For its 2027 UAM budget, MOLIT plans to include 15 billion won for aircraft introduction and 20 billion won for infrastructure development, including flight-route design and vertiports, in the government’s budget proposal. Aircraft acquisition funds will be used for demonstration and commercialization pilot projects, while infrastructure funds will be matched one-to-one with local governments, providing a total of 40 billion won in support. Support will also be expanded for local governments with new service models and detailed project plans.
A MOLIT official said, "We will identify feasible projects and continue providing the necessary support so that diverse UAM services suited to regional demand and characteristics can lead to actual commercialization."
[email protected] Jung Kyung-soo Reporter