+VIDEO Air Taxi pioneer Volocopter, has started taking reservations for short flights in its electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
The announcement follows Volocopter’s successful demonstration flights in Stuttgart, Helsinki and over Singapore’s Marina Bay.
“Based on our public test flights and regulatory achievement record, we have paved the way to make electric flight in cities common in just a few years,” said Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter.
“With the start of reservations, we now invite our supporters and innovators around the world to join us and be amongst the first to experience this new and exciting form of mobility.”
https://youtu.be/LL6-HEboEqw
The reservations for the first VoloCity flights are available worldwide on the Volocopter Reservation Platform.
VoloFirst
Costs: 300 euro. Reservation Fee: 10 euro. This includes:
- A flight with a duration of approx. 15 minutes (approx.) scheduled within the first 12 months after commercial launch
- A video of the passenger’s flight
- A limited edition, personalised certificate.
“While the final certification for air taxis is still pending, we do have a detailed realistic timeline to launch commercial VoloCity flights in the next 2-3 years,” said Volocopter’s Chief Commercial Officer Christian Bauer.
Going Japanese
In a separate move, Volocopter has signed an agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL) to develop and launch air mobility services in Japan using the Volocopter eVTOL.
Japan Airlines Innovation Fund invested in Volocopter in February 2020 as part of their Series C funding round.
The agreement outlines that Volocopter and JAL work on permanent sustainable commercial operations of air taxis in Japan. By establishing local partnerships, jointly approaching Japanese cities and prefectures and working on market demand and social acceptance, JAL and Volocopter will prepare for commercial launch in Japan within the next three years.
JAL will provide in-depth knowledge accumulated via safe aircraft operation experience to a next-generation air mobility operation platform service. In addition, JAL aims to deliver medical care in remote areas to achieve key sustainable development goals.
