volocopter’s eVTOL completes crewed test flight at a vertiport in paris amid 2024 olympics

eVTOL volocity by volocopter takes flight amid paris olympics

Volocopter, the mastermind behind the 18-rotor Volocity, announces that it has completed a crewed test flight at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École, the dubbed first commercial vertiport for eVTOLs. The news follows France authorizing Volocopter in July 2024 as the only eVTOL company allowed to take flight in Paris during the 2024 Olympics. Volocity flew high as part of the German manufacturer’s operational validation phase. This is one of the first steps towards making eVTOL taxi services legal and a ‘norm,’ as the company claims, in Paris.

The aircraft only cruised within Volocopter’s approved flight routes in Paris. This flight is a precursor to the eVTOL commercial flights planned by Volocopter and its partner, Groupe ADP, the developer of the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École vertiport, across France. During the test flight, the teams flew to and from the vertiport, checked ground handling, communicated with air traffic control, and verified battery charging and management at the vertiport. For the test flight, Volocopter says the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) granted them the permit to fly in Paris, prior to receiving Type Certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

Volocopter eVTOLs at the inauguration of Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École vertiport | all images © Volocopter GmbH

Volocopter seeks type certification for commercial eVTOL flights

Volocopter managed to carry out its test flight at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École vertiport in Paris despite earlier reports of canceled plans. According to a post by AFP, the agency reported that the German manufacturer’s representatives said the test flights of the 18-rotor Volocity were ‘scrapped in Paris during the Olympics as the certification for the engine had not come through.’ Less than 12 hours after the post, Volocopter announced the completion of its test flight. ‘Everyone at Volocopter is incredibly proud of how far the company has come and what it means to fly today at Saint-Cyr-l’École,’ says Dirk Hoke, CEO of Volocopter.

In a previous France24 report, Volocopter sought certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). In the company’s released statement, Volocopter implies that they are still seeking Type Certification from EASA, but that the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) has already granted them the permit to fly in Paris. Dirk Hoke adds that after the test flight amidst the Olympics, Volocopter plans to fly at the Austerlitz vertiport in late 2024. ‘Beyond that, we will focus on obtaining Type Certification for the Volocity and will start the test phase of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Germany together with our partner ADAC Luftrettung in 2025,’ the CEO says.

Volocopter announces that it has completed a crewed test flight at the Aerodrome of Saint-Cyr-l’École