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Cormeilles-en-Vexin, “flying taxis” will begin taking off from an airfield north of Paris as early as next June, operators said, in a test ahead of a large influx of tourists for the 2024 Olympics. The experiment will be carried out at the Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airfield, about 90 minutes northwest of the capital by car, according to a joint announcement from the Ile-de-France region, airport operator Groupe ADP and the public transport agency RATP. A drone-like vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle, dubbed the VoloCity, produced by the German company Volocopter, was chosen for the innovative test with flying taxis in a peri-urban area, they said.
The partners said in a statement that they had “decided to meet all the conditions for the emergence of this new mode of transport to be possible to complement existing modes, whether for the public or for goods. “Furthermore, the prospect of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games offers an exceptional opportunity to engage an entire industry in order to make the Paris Region a leader in the global urban air mobility market.” The experiment will depend on residents’ approval, safety protocols and air traffic regulations, the companies said. In the first half of 2021, arrangements will be made for parking areas, charging stations and ground signage for the demonstration. Working with aviation security agencies, the partners said that “parking, take-off and landing operations, as well as operations around the vehicle, whether maintenance or electrical recharging, will be tested in a real aeronautical environment in June 2021. “. VoloCity is equipped with 18 rotors and nine battery packs. Each can carry two passengers with carry-on luggage, for a maximum payload of 200 kilograms (440 pounds).
Released 2030
It flies at 110 kilometers (68 miles) per hour, at an altitude of 400 to 500 meters (1,312 to 1,640 feet), with a range of 35 kilometers (22 miles). Volocopter executive Fabien Nestmann said the craft’s manufacturers expected to obtain full certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency within two to three years. “We want a demonstration for the 2024 Olympics,” added Valerie Pecresse, president of the Ile-de-France region, at the launch press conference. But it could take a decade to implement the project on a large scale. “The day you can buy a ticket (for a flying taxi) on the Internet and take one, is more towards 2030, RATP executive director Catherine Guillouard told reporters. In the long term, “we will be able to integrate the mini take-off and landing zones into the urban fabric, which will require (public) acceptance, and the noise issue will be key,” he added. In the quest to limit traffic pollution and ease congestion, the idea of flying taxis has spread around the world. Volocopter has already tested its air taxi in different parts of the world, and last October it chose Singapore for the first test in the heart of a city. Several other companies are working on similar projects, such as Boeing, Airbus, Toyota and Hyundai. Earlier this month, Japan’s SkyDrive showed its eight-propeller manned compact vehicle flying around a test field.
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