You're not dreaming, flying taxis are coming to Italy and they've been having a test run before being fully introduced in rome in 2024. This month saw the first flight of VoloCity, the aerotaxi built by Volocopter and intended for air connections between Rome Fiumicino (Leonardo da Vinci International Airport) and the city of Rome.
Aeroporti di Roma, Volocopter, UrbanV and Atlantia in fact carried out the first flight in Italy of an equipped eVTOL, also activating the first vertiport in the country, together with Volocopter's VoloIQ digital platform.
The test took place one year after the presentation of the first eVTOL prototype in Italy. Over the past twelve months, significant progress has been made in terms of flight technology, vertiport design, and the necessary regulations to enable the first services between Fiumicino airport and the city of Rome to 'take off' by 2024. The service will be active in the city from 2024.
Volocopter's test pilot, on board the electric helicopter Volocopter 2X, flew at 40 km/h for five minutes at a height of 40 metres, performing an '8-flight' trajectory in front of spectators, after obtaining all the necessary authorisations from Enac and Enav, which are playing a central role in defining the future AAM (advanced air mobility) ecosystem.
Marco Troncone, CEO of Aeroporti di Roma, said: "This represents a significant milestone in our journey as pioneers in testing and implementing advanced air mobility in Italy and in playing our part in making urban transport increasingly sustainable and seamless. The opening of the first vertiport in Italy and the first manned eVTOL flight represent a significant step towards the activation of the first AAM routes between Fiumicino airport and the centre of Rome by the end of 2024, in view of the Jubilee, to offer our contribution to our city and our institutions in welcoming international tourist flows with an innovative and groundbreaking service".
Volocopter's electric aerotaxi is designed for fast, emission-free passenger flights in urban environments over congested roads and waterways, reflecting Atlantia and Aeroporti di Roma's plan to play a pioneering role in making the future of aviation more innovative and sustainable.
Recent studies by EASA and the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility have concluded that the estimated size of the urban air mobility (UAM) market in Europe, including research and development, vehicle production, operations and infrastructure construction, will be around 4.2 billion euros by 2030, with the capacity to create or sustain around 90,000 jobs by then (excluding manufacturing jobs).
Focusing on the variety of social benefits UAM will have for Europe, the EASA study also ranks Rome as one of the most suitable cities in Italy for the implementation of UAM/AAM services.
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