Aurora Flight Sciences, a subsidiary of aerospace giant Boeing, said Wednesday that it recently conducted the first test flight of its all-electric, autonomous passenger air vehicle. The unmanned vehicle took off vertically, hovered for a few seconds and then landed at the company’s test site in Manassas, Virginia. Boeing said future flights will test forward, on-wing flight, as well as the transition phase between vertical and forward flight modes.

It’s a significant step toward a future where autonomous, electric “flying taxis” fly from skyscraper to skyscraper, carrying passengers and cargo in service of an entirely new form of urban mobility. Boeing is just one of dozens of companies pursuing some form of urban air taxi service, but as one of the world’s largest aviation companies, it clearly has the resources and engineering prowess to get something in the air sooner than later.