This morning Volocopter electric VTOL completed its first flight in Italy. Taking off from Fiumicino vertiport and completing a demo flight of around five minutes at 40 meters height. Aeroporti di Roma (ADR), Atlantia, and UrbanV – a joint venture of ADR together with Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur, Aeroport of Venice (SAVE), and Aeroport Guglielmo Marconi, Bologna – are all involved in this project.
The first goal of this joint effort will be to connect Rome Fiumicino airport with the center of Rome. The service should start by 2024 and the flight will take around 20 minutes. The other airports from UrbanV are also looking to launch similar services.
Volocopter’s eVTOLs could be the best option for quick sustainable airport transfer. Flying passengers over congested roads will allow for fast airport transfers straight to city centers. Furthermore, the eVTOL emits zero CO2 emissions, and thanks to its electric engines it is super quiet. No “helicopter-style” noise here, even if Volocopter has more rotors.
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The Volocopter flight was part of a two days event hosted by the partners to showcase both the brand-new vertiport and Volocopter platform. The new vertiport is designed not just to test Volocopter flights, but the full ground operations as well. These include battery charging and swapping.
The site is about 5,500 square meters and includes a final approach and takeoff area (FATO) for landing and takeoff operations, a parking area, and a covered hangar. There are also office rooms, a warehouse, and an area for battery charging.
Yet another milestone for #Volocopter, this time in #Rome: the first crewed eVTOL flight in Italian airspace, made possible by our collab with @Atlantia and @ADR. Witnessing a #UAM milestone firsthand is an incredible achievement and a spectacular memory. https://t.co/ldchb5n2VV
— Volocopter (@volocopter) October 6, 2022
During the event, Volocopter was also able to showcase its all-interactive booking process on Volocopter’s VoloIQ digital platform.
In March this year, Atlantia invested in this Urban Air mobility leader from Bruchsal, Germany 35 million euros. That is more than double the investment they made last year in the same company.
Atlantia, ADR, and UrbanV group all think eVTOL could be a serious option for the future of airport transfers. As the project obtains all the necessary European and national certifications we will keep an eye on this and other eVTOLs companies that are shaping the future of flight.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com –In the Featured Photo: Volocopter’s first flight in Italy. Photo credit: Volocopter.
