European flying car technology sold to China

The AirCar flew for 35 minutes between two Slovakian airports in 2021. It took just over two minutes to transform from a car into an aircraft. The tech behind the flying car was originally developed and successfully test-flown in Europe, has been bought by a Chinese firm. Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, headquartered in Cangzhou, has purchased exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft inside an undisclosed area.

The firm has built its own airport and flight school after a previous acquisition from another Slovak aircraft manufacturer. KleinVision declined to say how much it had sold the technology for. AirCar was issued with a certificate of airworthiness by the Slovak Transport Authority in 2022. There are still considerable hurdles for this form of transport in terms of infrastructure, regulation and public acceptance of the technology.

The sale of the Slovakian AirCar could raise questions about whether China might be poised to do the same with flying cars. Mr Wright said while prototypes like the AirCar were great fun, the reality was likely to end up being more mundane with queues and baggage checks.