Flying Taxi Approved for Production

A German eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle developer has received official permission to start serial production of its flying vehicle.

The German Federal Aviation Office Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) production organization approved the production of the VoloCity vehicle from Volocopter. 

The approval is for two new Volocopter production and hangar facilities in Bruchsal, Germany. Approval includes production of the eVTOL from prototyping to serial manufacturing. 

“This is a major milestone for us. Aircraft design and production are strongly regulated for a good reason: to produce safe mobility products,” said Andreas Fehring, chief operating officer of Volocopter. “I am pleased that Volocopter’s production facility has the trust of and stamp of approval from LBA to manufacture commercial aircraft that can be delivered to customers once the VoloCity receives type certification. Our team has proven that we can produce safe and high-quality test aircraft, and we now look forward to shortening our production lead time for scaling.”

The crewed VoloCity air taxi was recently flown over the course of a week in the cities of Osaka and Amagasaki in preparation for the 2025 World Exposition, Osaka Kansai Expo.

Volocopter plans to fly at the international exhibition with its commercial air taxi.

Related:Flying Taxi Takes Off in Japan; Readied for World Expo

The flight tests in Japan were to test electric aerial vehicle (EAV) operations under conditions like what is expected during the Expo and to accelerate public awareness of eVTOL vehicles in Japan.

Volocopter has been focused on Japan since 2018 when the country became one of the first to announce its commitment to urban air mobility.

The VoloCity air taxi was recently rolled out in front of a crowd of media and invited guests at Sheltair Aviation at Tampa International Airport in Florida.

A pilot in the two-seater vehicle with 18 rotors took off straight up, cruised around the airfield and even made a nose-down nod to the crowd before landing to applause from airport personnel.

The VoloCity is one of several Volocopter prototypes. The vehicle has also flown in Las Vegas and Dallas.

The VoloCity also spent time at Tampa airport testing with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ahead of its flight there.

The battery-powered EAV is expected to travel at speeds up to 68 mph with a takeoff capacity of 2,000 pounds.

As in typical eVTOLs, the Volocopter air taxi has redundant systems.

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Related:Flying Taxi Takes Off at Tampa Airport