Hailed as the future of transport, a number of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft projects are coming our way.

The latest one is from Airbus’ three-tiered A³ (pronounced “A cubed”) initiatives, reports Mashable. The idea? To take ride-hailing services stuck on the ground up into the skies.

Called Vahana – which is Sanskrit for “that which carries, that which pulls” and relates to Hindu gods – a working prototype is set to be ready by the end of this year.

How exciting.

There isn’t much information available on the project just yet, except for what is found on Vahana’s website:

The aircraft we’re building doesn’t need a runway, is self-piloted, and can automatically detect and avoid obstacles and other aircraft.

Designed to carry a single passenger or cargo, we’re aiming to make it the first certified passenger aircraft without a pilot.

We aim to fly a full-size prototype before the end of 2017, and to have a productizable demonstrator by 2020.

You can read all about their explosive vision here or just watch the video below:

The future sure looks exciting, if not hella scary.

[source:mashable]