Certification

The hybrid car-aircraft, AirCar, is equipped with a BMW engine and runs on regular petrol-pump fuel.

It takes two minutes and 15 seconds to transform from car into aircraft.

The certification followed 70 hours of flight testing and more than 200 take-offs and landings, the company said.

"AirCar certification opens the door for mass production of very efficient flying cars," its creator, Prof Stefan Klein, said.

"It is official and the final confirmation of our ability to change mid-distance travel forever."

Since 2014, Samoa’s recorded profit for exports in general was about $27m tala.

SAME and the Government of Samoa are aiming to increase that to $100m tala in three years.

“The goal for our export plans with the Government is to at least reach three times the exports we have now by 2020. So the certification of six new local companies in Samoa is a great sign that we can achieve this goal,” said SAME President Tagaloa Eddie Wilson.