LE BOURGET, France - Just a dot on the horizon at first, the bug-like and surprisingly quiet electrically-powered craft buzzes over Paris and its traffic snarls, treating its doubtless awestruck passenger to privileged vistas of the Eiffel Tower and the city’s signature zinc-grey rooftops before landing him or her with a gentle downward hover. And thus, if all goes to plan, could a new page in aviation history be written, John Leicster reports for the Associated Press. Continue reading original article.
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
23 June 2023 - While Paris plays host to the world's largest airshow this week, the city also prepares to host the Olympics next year. Urban air mobility (UAM) is a hot topic in the City of Light, but it is also on schedule to move people around at next year's Olympiad.
French airport operator Groupe ADP and Bruschal, Germany's Volocopter announced at this week's air show that UAM aircraft will service tourest connection routes from Charles de Gualle Airport, the Austerlitz barge vertiport in Paris, and the Paris Heliport.
Vertiport construction will start over the course of the summer, and by September at the latest, and be in full swing at the end of 2024. The five vertiports in Paris have a development schedule that allows for commercial launch in summer 2024. A special vertiport will be located on the Austerlitz barge on the Seine river, with strong support from the Paris Region. This month, an environmental impact study was submitted to the Environmental Authority, and will be followed by a public acceptance survey in the second half of 2023. These will form the basis for starting construction of the vertiport early next year.
Each vertiport will feature passenger terminals, with 1 to 3 takeoff and landing spots, and integrate the learnings from the Pontoise testbed. More than 1,000 visitors have come to see dozens of flights and other tests that have been executed in Pontoise over the past 18 months.
Related: SITA and Volocopter to collaborate on digital infrastructure for UAM vertiprots
Related: Chinese automaker Geely's Aerofugia unit unveils its UAM AE200 UAM aircraft
Jamie Whitney, Senior Editor
Military + Aerospace Electronics
