Flying Taxi: Hyundai’s concept flying Taxi unveiled in 2020. Credit: Boykov / Shutterstock
Since the beginning of 2024, Malaga’s drone industry has tripled the value of its exports, primarily pertaining to the software design and engineering of these devices.
Despite the association of drone technology with the military, especially in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, companies like iJet Aviation are working to change that. Focusing on the private aviation sector, iJet is a Malaga-based company working to design new innovative forms of air transport.
One of their most innovative projects is the Air Taxi concept, which they hope will provide passengers with a connection from Malaga to Marbella in just 15 minutes. CEO Javier Barriga confirmed in an interview that iJet has already pre-purchased 10 of the vertical-takeoff aircraft and awaits their construction to be able to offer the futuristic mode of transport to consumers.
Software prioritisation
While 87% of the sector’s companies are based in Sevilla and Cadiz, Malagan businesses have found a niche in the software department. Particularly with advances in AI and microprocessor technology, Malaga’s cast of drone companies are seeing a growth in market share.
Aertec, a Malaga-based aerospace company, has recently signed a deal in which the Spanish Department of Defence will acquire a wing of their Tarsis drones, which can maintain flight of up to 100 km/h for 12 hours with a flight ceiling of 5,000 metres above sea level.
