Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), also known as flying taxis or air taxis, have been touted as the future of urban air mobility.

The low-altitude aircraft would travel between cities and airports avoiding traffic, but face a number of challenges before they can become a reality.

As well as needing to secure regulatory approval and convince consumers they are safe, eVTOLs need infrastructure for landing and take-off.

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority said it was launching a consultation on how eVTOL airports, called "vertiports", would fit into existing small airfields, and how they would operate safely and efficiently.

"This consultation is a big step towards enabling this new and innovative way of travelling to become part of our everyday life," the CAA's head of future safety and innovation Sophie O'Sullivan said in a statement.

The CAA said small airfields would be the best places for vertiports at first.

The consultation closes on March 15.

UK-based Vertical Aerospace, which is working on an eVTOL product, received a $50 million investment from its founder and chief executive Stephen Fitzpatrick on Monday, new funding aimed at helping it gain regulatory approval.

(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Sachin Ravikumar)