Thirty industrialists and institutions will conduct tests in real conditions for future flying taxis in Ile-de-France from the end of winter at an airport in Val-d'Oise, announced Thursday the promoters of this project.
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"
We are going to create the first European vertiport here
", enthusiastically enthusiastically said Augustin de Romanet, CEO of Groupe ADP, manager of Ile-de-France airports, by participating in the inauguration of this area installed at Pontoise-Cormeilles-en airport. -Vexin, 35 km north-west of Paris.
"The
'
social acceptability'
"
This inauguration kicks off the first experiments in real conditions on electric vehicles with vertical takeoff and landing
" (eVTOL, their acronym), according to a joint press release from ADP, the Ile-de-France Region and of the RATP. The transport company will provide the project with its laboratory analyzing noise and vibrations, explained to AFP its CEO, Catherine Guillouard: even much quieter than helicopters, "
it is very important that these new vehicles and their operation is acceptable to the population
”.
The first eVTOL tested will be that of the German company Volocopter, but other start-ups such as Vertical Aerospace, Ascendance and Lilium are participating in the project, as are Airbus and Thales.
Pontoise airport was chosen because it is a "
complete
airport
, with a 1,600-meter runway, a fire station, a control tower
", remarked Edward Arkwright, number 2 of ADP. : “
We want to test all the components of the system
” during these operations which will start “at the
end of February, beginning of March
”.
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There is also the question of the “
social acceptability
” of these devices, recognized Catherine Guillouard, who hopes to see flying taxis transporting “a
few thousand passengers every day
”
at the end of the decade
. The objective is to limit the cost of a race to "
twice the price of a VTC
", or a hundred euros, according to her. Subject to certification, the project participants would like to set up two experimental lines, showcases of their know-how, during the 2024 Olympic Games: Issy-les-Moulineaux - Saint-Cyr (Yvelines) heliport, and Roissy- Le Bourget-Paris.
“
These are not gimmicks that will be tested here.
These are technologies that are going to change the aeronautics industry
”, enthusiastic Minister Delegate for Transport Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, welcoming projects that bring into“
reality
”mobility so far“
imaginary
”seen in
projects.
films like “
Back to the Future
” or “
The Fifth Element
”.
