JAKARTA - Volocopter, a German company, last month made the first flight of its electric air taxi in France at a show at Le Bourget airport. They say the maiden flight aims to operate Olympic services in Paris by 2024.
The flying taxi, which looks like a small helicopter, took off at Bourget airport near Paris and then landed vertically after a three-minute flight. There are no passengers in it.
According to a statement from Volocopter, the plane was flying about 500 meters in the air at a speed of up to 30 kilometers per hour and was about 30 meters above the airfield.
This mini helicopter has a capacity for two people on board and a luggage compartment. "A clear goal for Paris 2024, but another goal is to actually have regular service in operation. That's a challenge," said Volocopter Chief Executive Florian Reuter.
Reuters said the flying taxi service would initially be operated by fully licensed pilots to comply with existing regulations.
"Over time ... we want these vehicles to fly fully automated, so you don't need a pilot's license anymore," he added.
Reuters describes the urban mobility market as "giant". "Urban mobility is a more than 10 trillion dollar market," he said. "We estimate that, by 2035, we can serve a market that has an opportunity of around $300 billion (approximately IDR 4,346 trillion)."
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