Kiwi.com has invested in Zuri, a project aiming to introduce affordable, unmanned flights.

The terms of investment have not been disclosed but a statement says it will be used for the second phase of development of Zuri, which is to produce a “functional prototype.”

The project, which is led by Czech entrepreneur Michal Illich, uses vertical take-off and landing technology.

This is the second investment Kiwi has made in the past six months with the company announcing it was investing a minority stake in airline reservation tech specialist, AeroCRS, in December 2018.

Michal Illich, founder and CEO of Zuri, says: “Thanks to this investment we will be able to continue building up the team as well as the development of the large prototype of this unique aircraft. Kiwi.was the only company we approached for the investment in this phase, because we see huge potential for our cooperation.

"Kiwi.com has intimate knowledge of the future of travel demand and thanks to its popularity it will also be able to bring new solutions to the market of on-demand transportation, including mid-range VTOL flights."

Oliver Dlouhy, founder and CEO of Kiwi.com, believes his company will be among the first to offer this type of service.

He adds: “The Zuri project represents a direction that I see as key in the future of transport and our investment is testament of that.

"This segment is practically non-existent, although it is one of the critical elements in the first and last mile of transport. Intertwined with the global transportation network, it will bring completely new options for travelling."