Volocopter opens final assembly line facility in Germany
Volocopter yesterday opened the hangar that will host the OEM’s final assembly line in Bruchsal, Germany.
The production facility also includes an airfield to conduct development flight tests as well as quality checks. All company-owned production sites, which will manufacture the first EASA-certified electric air taxis, will ramp up into full operation in April with commercial services starting next year.
“Right here is where the aircraft that will change how humanity moves about cities will take off and make its way across the world,” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter. “This region is known for transforming mobility – the bicycle, the car, and soon Volocopter, too. Electric air taxis and Volocopter in particular is a technology made in Germany that will make the world a more sustainable place.”
Volocopter’s production facilities have the capacity and regulatory approval to assemble over 50 VoloCity aircraft each year. And this is the final step of the production setup that Volocopter has been expanding in Bruchsal over the past 18 months. Since 2021, the company holds an approval as production organization in compliance with EASA regulation. This certification covers the entire VoloCity production process.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on 4 April with guests including Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport; Winfried Kretschmann, Minister of the State of Baden-Württemberg; Dr. Anna Christmann and Federal Government coordinator for german aerospace policy.
Dr. Wissing said: “Germany is already a world leader in the development of air taxis, thanks in part to Volocopter’s great pioneering spirit. I would like to support and build on this leading role by creating a framework that enables innovation and progress. We are working with key industry players on a strategy for air taxi operations here in Germany, in which all technical and legal issues are addressed without delay. We are doing this so that the first drones carrying people and goods can take off very soon.”
The German OEM has committed to launching commercial air taxi services in cities like Singapore, Rome, NEOM, and Paris as early as 2024. Andreas Fehring, chief supply chain officer, Volocopter, and Program Manager VoloCity, added: “The VoloCity has completed the critical design review – and that’s the aircraft we’re ready to produce, with enough leeway for further learnings derived from flight testing. It’s no easy task to set up a production facility for an entirely new type of aircraft, but my team has done a phenomenal job.”
