Volocopter Targets Commercial Launch in Paris for Summer 2024

Launch timeline positions the German company as the first eVTOL manufacturer to begin routine flights.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 05:03 PM ET

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A digital rendering depicts Volocopter’s VoloCity model zipping past the Eiffel Tower in Paris. [Courtesy: Volocopter]

Key Takeaways:

German company Volocopter is on track to launch an urban air taxi network in Paris by summer 2024, aiming to make it the first city with routine eVTOL services for the Olympic Games.
The initial plan includes five vertiports and using Volocopter's VoloCity eVTOL (pilot + one passenger) for a mix of public transit and tourism routes, pending EASA certification by early 2024.
This aggressive timeline positions Volocopter as a frontrunner over U.S. competitors, further bolstered by deals like supplying aircraft to ADAC Luftrettung for future emergency services and plans for global expansion.

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Did France just pull a coup d’état on the air taxi race?

American electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturers Joby and Archer Aviation have long planned commercial launches by 2025. But at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday, German rival Volocopter reinforced its agreement with Groupe ADP, an international airport operator based in Paris, and the French Civil Aviation Authority and Paris Region (DGAC) to establish an air taxi network in Paris by next summer.