💡 Why it matters: Quiet electric air taxis could one day let people skip road traffic with short hops over crowded cities. If this works, cities will need pilots trained for new aircraft and new safety rules. It is still early, so plans may change.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Air taxis are imagined as a way to skip Lagos traffic.
A job of the future expected 2030s
Several companies are building small electric aircraft that take off and land vertically like helicopters. If regulators approve them, big congested cities will need pilots and operators for short air-taxi flights.
This is an informed prediction, not a promise. The skills below are useful whichever way the future goes.
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦8M – ₦18M
- Mid-career
- ₦18M – ₦40M
- Senior
- ₦40M – ₦90M
≈ ₦1.5M – ₦3.3M a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Closest UK job: Airline pilot. Typical starter to experienced salary. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Commercial pilots (airline pilots earn more). Median pay; low and high are the 10th and 90th percentiles. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Closest Job Bank occupation: Helicopter pilot. Hourly wage low/median/high x 2,080 hours. Job Bank (Government of Canada), 2023-2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Fly short city trips in electric vertical take-off aircraft
- Check batteries, weather and routes before every trip
- Work with air traffic systems in busy city skies
- Follow strict safety rules for landing on rooftops and city pads
- Look after passengers' safety and comfort
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Flying skills
- Decision making
- Technology skills
- Staying calm
- Customer care
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Helicopter or fixed-wing commercial pilot licence, then extra training on electric aircraft as it becomes available
- Join an air-taxi company's pilot training programme when it opens
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Integrated flight training course, or modular training built up in stages
- Helicopter or small aircraft flying to build hours, then extra training on electric aircraft as it appears
🇺🇸 United States
- Flight school or a college aviation program
- Work as a flight instructor to build hours, then add helicopter or new-aircraft training
🇨🇦 Canada
- Flight school, often through a college aviation program
- Build hours as an instructor or bush pilot, then add helicopter or new-aircraft training
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Build a strong Maths and Physics base
- 2Train for a commercial pilot licence
- 3Gain hours on helicopters or small aircraft
- 4Take new-type training for electric vertical aircraft
- 5Fly for an air-taxi operator or help set up one
⏰ A day in the life
You check the battery charge and the wind over the city. You then fly a business passenger from one rooftop landing pad to another in about ten minutes. Between trips you charge the aircraft and file a short flight report.