Eray Altunbozar, the founder of AirCar Teknoloji ve Havacılık A.Ş., which successfully carried out the first manned test of the "two-seater electric flying car" developed in Türkiye, stated that they aim to fly the vehicle over Istanbul by the end of next year. Altunbozar explained that they began working on artificial intelligence technologies, batteries, and composite materials in 2017 and have made significant progress over the past five years.
When they began working on their vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) electric aircraft, only six companies in the world were active in this field. "Today, we can say we're still in the top five globally. We're satisfied with our progress. We've started manned tests and will continue improving the system for even greater safety," said Altunbozar.
He added: "We're doing everything we can. Our plan is to fly our vehicle over Istanbul within two years." According to Altunbozar, an AirCar user could travel a 60-kilometer route in half an hour—compared to up to four hours by car, depending on traffic conditions. "For short distances, especially in high-traffic areas, people will be able to hop into an AirCar and reach their destination quickly. This technology could make Istanbul a more livable city," he said.
Highlighting the challenges of the technology, he noted, "Flying cars are among the most difficult and advanced technologies that could change the world. Sometimes even the best global solutions are insufficient, so we're developing our own."
The AirCar weighs 350 kilograms and has a 40-kilowatt battery—far lighter than the 1,500-kilogram batteries used in conventional cars. They use lighter, high-capacity batteries and have developed proprietary software and started building hardware in-house.
To ensure affordability, AirCar is aiming for a price point at half the cost of a two-seater helicopter. While current regulations require a pilot, they've been working on autonomous systems from the start. "If two cars can park in a space, we can take off and land there. We keep our footprint small to blend organically into urban structures," Altunbozar said.
Since the company's founding, they've received numerous offers from international distributors. Altunbozar mentioned that they'll begin pre-sales in the coming months to better understand domestic and global demand.
They are working on three product lines: the two-seater AirCar (targeting release by the end of 2026), a single-seater for training and leisure, and a cargo drone for search and rescue, logistics, and firefighting operations. The single-seater and cargo drone are planned for release within this year.
They designed and produced the seats, battery packs, much of the software, propellers, prototype motor, and hardware in-house. "With all of this, we've reached around 85% local production. In the future, we aim to produce the motor and motor controller domestically as well. We're only discussing battery collaborations for now," he stated.
Altunbozar emphasized their goal to enhance low-altitude urban transportation using AirCar and concluded:
"AirCar could be used for public services like air ambulances and firefighting across the city. Driving from Galata Tower to Üsküdar takes an hour—AirCar will do it in one minute. Urban travel will shift to the skies. We have to make this happen. Otherwise, we'll become importers of this technology. We want to act without losing time and bring this innovation to our country. We are ambitious. Once you've physically flown a vehicle, 90% of the job is done."
