Better buckle up. And make sure the doors are locked. Roll up the windows, too.That’s because America’s preeminent airplane maker, Boeing, is already looking past problems in its embattled civilian aircraft division with plans to roll out flying cars by 2030 in what’s sure to be a preview of a dystopian future for a disfunctional company.Chief Technology Officer Todd Citron told Japanese news outlet Nikkei Asia on Friday that the company is developing electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles at its California-based unit Wisk Aero..After it obtains certification in the US — assuming it ever does — it plans to introduce flying taxis on a commercial scale into the Asian market. Details have yet to be finalized, including whether Boeing will sell the aircraft to third party companies or operate the services itself.In 2022, Boeing opened a new research and development base in the Japanese city of Nagoya, to develop digital tools for aircraft design and manufacturing, sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen fuel cells.Boeing Japan President Will Shaffer said Japan is a logical choice for the rollout due to its proximity to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Subaru, which already manufacture key parts for Boeing jets."The other real opportunity here in this region is the access to talent and we've partnered very closely with Nagoya University as well as other places to find and access very good talent," Shaffer added..Analysts said Boeing appears to be targetting the growing demand for short-distance air travel in Asia’s congested cities, even as the company faces “significant challenges” in its core business segment — passenger jets that fall from the sky, such as the 737 Max, or lose key components such as wheels, landing gear, engine covers and door plugs on takeoff.In the latest debacle for the company, not one but two whistleblowers this week told US Senate hearings that the company cut corners, ignored problems, and threatened employees who spoke up about problems with its 787 Dreamliner..Boeing quality engineer Sam Salehpour and former Boeing engineer Ed Pierson — alongside aviation safety advocate and former FAA engineer Joe Jacobsen and Ohio State University aviation professor Shawn Pruchnicki — slammed Boeing for allegedly knowing about defective parts and other serious assembly problems and chose to ignore or even conceal them. Salehpour in particular, said he wouldn’t allow his family to fly on a 787 even though he was responsible for quality control.The hearings concluded that the manufacturer had not done enough to improve its safety culture since deadly 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people.When they haven’t been stalled, deliveries of commercial aircraft have dropped by a third and the company’s stock price has fallen more than 32% year-to-date, Meanwhile, in Japan, domestic startup SkyDrive and Germany's Volocopter are scheduled to operate air taxi services at the 2025 Osaka World Expo.
