The greater Paris area is developing an urban air mobility sector, to make flying taxis accessible to the public. The region has partnered with ADP (Aeroport de Paris) group and RATP (Régie autonome des transports parisiens), which provides bus and metro service to Paris and suburbs, to launch a test zone on an airfield in the area. Volocopter taxis will soon launch field trials of its vertically ascending vehicle, called VoloCity. The aim is to make this flying taxi service available by 2024, when Paris hosts the Olympic Games.
The first trials will start in the first half of 2021, in Pontoise - Cormeilles-en-Vexin airfield, 35 km northwest of Paris. The process will start with arranging runways and boarding facilities. Then, the first take-off and landing operations will be tested, along with vehicle maintenance and electric charging.
German firm Volocopter is a pioneer in this new type of mobility. VoloCity has already been tested out in Dubai and Singapore. It's the first industrial player to become an official partner on this project, however, it may not be the only one.
The goal is to make flying mobility accessible to the public, to complement the current public transport options. The Île-de-France region, home to Paris and surrounding areas, wants to become a reference in the urban air mobility market worldwide, inspiring other international metropolises in the matter.
