Bell reveals air taxi cabin at CES

Bell helicopter has debuted the cabin of its upcoming air taxi at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the first major helicopter manufacturer to debut at the show.

The cabin features a plain silver and black exterior, and an interior designed to be a simple integrated user experience control centre. Customers can watch world news, hold a video conference call, and share documents with other customers.

During the run-up to the reveal, Bell teased the cabin on a video on its twitter account.

“Bell Helicopter is innovating at the limits of vertical flight and challenging the traditional notion of aviation to solve real-world problems,” said Bell Helicopter’s president and CEO, Mitch Snyder. “The future of urban air taxi is closer than many people realise. We believe in the positive impact our design will have on addressing transportation concerns in cities worldwide.”

The cabin also doubles as a flight simulation. Attendees at CES can visit Bell’s stand and experience a number of different simulated air taxi flights.

Ride hailing service Uber partnered with Bell and four other manufacturers, including Embraer, in April to develop aircraft to fly for its upcoming UberAIR services.

“The air taxi is not a new concept – Bell Helicopter has been moving people over urban landscapes for decades,” said Snyder. “While we are laser-focused on the passenger experience and eager to share with the public, Bell continues to develop our air taxi design to provide safe, reliable transportation services to the world.”