Volocopter receives permission to fly during the Olympic Games

Shortly before the end of the Olympic Games, the flying taxi manufacturer has received a long-awaited flight permit for Paris. Flights with the electric flying devices that take off and land vertically are planned for this Thursday, among other dates, as the company from Bruchsal, Baden reported. 

At the beginning of the major sporting event, it was still unclear whether Volocopter and the French airport operator Groupe ADP could really implement their plans. The decision was up to the French Civil Aviation Authority DGAC and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency Easa.

Originally, More Was Planned

The now planned test flights are, however, a compromise. Initially, Volocopter and Groupe ADP wanted to offer the world's first passenger-operated air taxi service for the Olympic Games. But an EASA type certification for this is still missing. The European Aviation Safety Agency did not comment on this upon request.

The partners had announced last year that air taxi operations in Paris would start on three connection routes and two tourist sightseeing routes. Five vertiports were planned for this, one of them on a pontoon on the Seine.

In the Volocity model, which has a large ring with rotors on the roof, there is room for one more person besides the pilot. The air taxis were supposed to fly at an altitude of less than 500 meters, making them inaudible from the ground in urban environments.

The French Council of State recently rejected two applications against a temporary air taxi take-off and landing site in central Paris. The city of Paris and several organizations had questioned the legality of the order for the operation.