Volocopter reveals first public routes for Paris Olympics
Volocopter and Groupe ADP have revealed the first eVTOL routes open to the public which will be operational in time for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
The announcement, made alongside the French Civil Aviation Authority and Paris region, will see Paris as possibly first the city in the world to integrate eVTOL services into its existing public transportation system. The services will be available to the general public.
Volocopter will start with three connection routes and two tourist round trip flights, utilising several aircraft. The connection routes will be: Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and Paris-Le Bourget airport, vertiport of Austerlitz barge and Paris Heliport, and Paris Heliport and Airfield of Saint-Cyr-l’École (Versailles). Then, tourist round trips will be offered from Paris Heliport and Le Bourget airport. The general public will be able to book flights for the summer of 2024. Subscribers to Volocopter’s channels will be the first to learn about booking opportunities, which will be revealed in the second half of 2023.
Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter, said: “We are counting down the days to making electric air taxis a reality. Together with our French partners, we will take command in decarbonising aviation, slowly but surely. Paris Air Show 2023 is the ultimate opportunity to show thousands of people the benefits of electric air taxis daily.”
Operations in Paris will begin from five vertiports and will grow to cover the whole Paris region over the next decade, said Volocopter. Its VoloCity aircraft, which has capacity for one pilot and one passenger, will be flying at heights below 500m.
Vertiport construction will start over the course of the summer, and by September at the latest, and be in full swing at the end of 2024. The five vertiports in Paris have a development schedule that allows for commercial launch in summer 2024. A special vertiport will be located on the Austerlitz barge on the Seine river. This month, an environmental impact study was submitted to the Environmental Authority, and will be followed by a public acceptance survey in the second half of 2023. These will form the basis for starting construction of the vertiport early next year. Each vertiport will feature passenger terminals, with one to three takeoff and landing spots.
Edward Arkwright, Groupe ADP deputy CEO, said: “The 2023 Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, the cradle of aviation pioneers, will be the turning point in the takeoff of new electric air mobility: the transition from dream to reality. All the indicators are green for a successful summer 2024. The challenges ahead are huge, but they are a great source of pride for all those involved in the project, with whom we share the conviction that carbon-free air travel also brings new services.”
Volocopter kicked off yesterday’s flight displays at the Paris Air Show 2023 with a demonstration flight of its VoloCity eVTOL.
