The government will carry out tests in the skies of Seoul from next year to introduce and commercialize drone taxis in the wider metropolitan area.

The transport ministry held a joint government and private sector meeting on urban air mobility(UAM) on Friday and unveiled a map of flight routes and locations for seven vertiports, referring to the landing and takeoff platforms of UAM vehicles.

The test verification will be divided into three stages with the first stage to test a route between the drone test center and the new town city of Gyeyang in Incheon from August next year to March 2025.

Vehicles will then be tested on a second route from Gimpo airport connecting to Yeouido and the city of Goyang for a month-long period in April 2024 while the last stage test will take place the following month on a route between Jamsil and Suseo.

The routes mostly cover river areas specifically selected for safety reasons.

The ministry also noted that in parliament, related bills, collectively called the UAM Act, aimed to ensure the stable growth of the aerial vehicle sector, are under deliberations.