Flying taxis miss the Olympic deadline in Paris
This page is translated from the original post "Les taxis volants ratent le rendez-vous Olympique à Paris" in French.
- 09/08/2024 11:24
If you were waiting like us for the VoloCity flying taxis ballet over Paris during the Olympic Games, you can lower your head.
Volocopter and its partner Aéroports de Paris had indeed received the long-awaited green light from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Île-de-France Region to conduct demonstrations of their eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Alas, a problem with a supplier has resulted in the need for new certification, which has grounded the small aircraft.
This was supposed to be the culmination of 2 years of indecision regarding the opportunity to showcase this remarkable technological advancement at the PARIS 2024 Olympics. We are talking about vehicles that have undergone years of development and testing to prove their reliability, but the opposition has been and remains significant. The lukewarm reception from the City of Paris certainly hasn’t helped, quite the opposite.
Paris without flying taxis
We can mention in passing the noise generated by the 16 rotors and the visual pollution, even if, in our opinion, these buzzing little machines are extremely likable. There is also the argument that these vehicles would be reserved for a wealthy elite, much like helicopters. Every innovative vehicle is expensive to build and operate, but the generalization of the technology can make them accessible to everyone. Furthermore, their technology is quite simple and relatively inexpensive, except of course for the carbon structure. We are indeed talking about a collective transportation means and not a private one.
Volocopter and ADP have therefore had to limit themselves to a small demonstration flight at the Saint-Cyr-l’École Aerodrome to complete the validation phases necessary for commercial use as autonomous flying taxis. The eVTOLs will not participate in the grand celebration of the Olympic Games, where they should have been a highlight. It’s a shame; they truly deserved a place there.
READ ALSO: Europe says YES to eVTOL air taxis and transport drones
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