SITA and Volocopter to collaborate on digital infrastructure for UAM vertiprots

AMSTERDAM - Volocopter, an urban air mobility (UAM) based in Bruchsal, Germany, and SITA, an IT provider to the air transport industry based in Geneva, Switzerland, have entered a partnership with SITA selected as Volocopter’s preferred digital and IT systems partner for vertiports.

SITA will deploy its expertise in air transport for the emerging UAM industry, developing new operating standards and a digital-first passenger experience. SITA’s portfolio includes a wide range of IT solutions for airport management and operations, passenger operations, flight and aircraft operations, baggage processing, and border management.

UAM will offer a new form of sustainable aviation, replete with multiple mobility options to cities worldwide. The company’s launch product, the VoloCity electric air taxi, will operate routes in congested megacities to offer future passengers stable, quiet, and safe flights. Flights can be hailed via designated boarding points (or “vertiports”). The partnership has the potential to shape aviation industry standards.

Volocopter is known for its integrated UAM ecosystem approach. Its digital operating system, the VoloIQ, connects all partners, which enables a holistic service. The VoloIQ also enables a digital-first approach that will translate to end-to-end passenger air transportation experiences. This cloud-based system is in the process of being certified by the relevant aviation authorities.

"Volocopter is in pole position to make electric air taxis a reality, benefiting from its first-mover advantage," Sergio Colella, SITA President for Europe, said. "SITA, we will play a key role in delivering this new digital UAM world and defining a seamless, smarter approach to air travel in a city environment. Together we will turn the theory into practice as early as 2024 when we expect the first commercial eVTOLs to take flight.”