Volocopter Begins Air Taxi Ticket Sales

Urban air mobility (UAM) company Volocopter announced on Wednesday that it is now selling tickets for piloted air taxi flights in its VoloCity electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL). Angling to become “the first electric air taxi company to acquire paying end-customers,” Germany-based Volocopter is limiting its initial offering to 1,000 slots. The €300 ($355) tickets can be reserved for a 10 percent deposit and are good for a 15-minute flight “scheduled within the first 12 months after commercial launch” plus video of the experience.

“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 Chief Commercial Officer Christian Bauer. “Moreover, those who reserve now can receive the latest updates about our progress and the commercial launch plan.”

Volocopter flew its first eVTOL design in 2011 and unveiled the VoloCity, its fourth-generation model, last year. The VoloCity is expected to have a range of 35 km (19 NM), top airspeed of 110 km/h (59 knots) and payload of 200 kg (441 pounds). The company is planning to certify the aircraft under EASA’s new SC-VTOL rule.