The new electric air taxi will be used in Paris next year, with the machines designed to carry a single passenger between transport hubs.
Ahead of the 2024 Olympics to be held in the French capital next year, it has been confirmed that the world’s first electric air taxi network will take to the skies.
The vehicles, which will be known as VoloCity air taxis, will operate from five vertiports where passengers can access the vehicles. It has been confirmed that an existing helicopter route network will be used.
While inscribing itself indelibly in the illustrious history of the Olympics from an athletic point of view, Paris will further inscribe its name into the new history books of electric transport.
The 2024 Paris Olympics – a new vision for the Olympics
The 2024 Paris Olympics is due to take place between 26 July 2024 and 11 August 2024. Tickets are already on sale for the global event and can be purchased here if you are interested.
With just under 500 days to go, Paris will host the 33rd Olympics. On its own website, the Olympics described this as a “new vision of Olympism in action, delivered in a unique spirit of international celebration”.
The Olympic celebration will traverse the famous River Seine from the Olympic Village, right to the heart of Paris, to locations such as the Eiffel Tower and Grand Palais.
The VoloCity air taxis – a new form of Olympic transport
Indeed, Paris has taken Olympism to an even newer dynamic with the introduction of electric air taxis.
The VoloCity air taxi will carry one passenger and one pilot along two routes. It will take rides from the Charles de Gaulle airport to Le Bourget and then to a new landing pad at Austerlitz Paris. Another route will go from Paris to Sans-Cyr.
Caution must still be used, as these plans are currently under development. However, Paris airports operator Soléne Le Bris of Groupe ADP said, “We are going to make it happen.
“We are trying to launch the first e-VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) pre-commercial service in the world: that’s our ambition”.
Volocopter – the producers behind the invention
Volocoptor are the producers behind this invention and aim to have the first electric air taxi service used during the Paris Olympics.
The German company believe electric air taxis are four times less noisy than the conventional helicopter. They will be able to travel distances of around 20 km (12.4 miles).
Safety concerns have been abated by Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), who said: “My job is to make sure that the only vehicles which can fly are safe.
“So, if you see something flying, then it’s safe because we would have certified it, in particular for the Summer Olympic Games of 2024”.
Le Bris also revealed that there are plans to work with Paris hospitals in order to use the helicopters for medical emergencies. It is hoped that these de facto air taxis will save lives with their efficiency.
Legal Disclaimer
We cover articles relating to many activities. Some of our articles showcase gaming and gambling as activities. While we do not take money for bets or own any gambling venues, we feel it is important that our readers know the risks of such venues or sites that we may mention in our articles. Gambling involves risk. Please only gamble with funds that you can comfortably afford to lose. See our legal disclaimer for more info.