Volocotpter could start air taxi in Singapore

Volocopter has announced its plans to start air tai services in Singapore after two years of close collaboration with the authorities of the country.

Collaborating with the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) as well as the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Volocopter stated its plans to begin air transportation services in the city-state within three years which will further place Singapore as the first country in Asia to launch the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) services.

Just a year ago (Oct. 2019), the company was able to complete an historic air taxi demonstration flight across the Marina Bay area of the city which gave observers the opportunity of seeing the elegance and efficiency of UAM services.

Before commencing operations, Volocopter will have to obtain requisite regulatory clearance from CAAS and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency while the company will continue to carry out numerous flight trials and certifications before commencing on any air taxi operations.

Its first air taxi route is expected to transcend over the southern waters which will give a great view of the Marina Bay skyline and could be one of the attractions for tourists.

There could also be the ability for cross-border flights which could further enhance travel experience for its consumers.

And as for green energy, the Volocopter makes carbon emission-free aircraft which also takes off and land vertically as well as being designed to produce less noise.

The company’s spokesperson stated that Volocopter aims to create the first of its kind sustainable and scalable UAM business which can bring affordable air taxi services to megacities around the world.

The company collaborates with its partners to build the necessary ecosystem that will berth urban air mobility in smart cities.

As a brief history, Volocopter was founded back in the year 2011 and has being able to grow since then currently with about 200 staffs and has being able raise about €122 million (US$ 147,203,370) in equity. The Volocopter was first unveiled at CES 2018.

The company makes use of four inertial movement units (IMUs) which is able to determine and measure attitude and positioning during flight while the battery system is also split into nine discrete packs with each powering a pair of rotors in order to keep it flying.

There is also the use of GPS and navigation technology as well as ballistic parachute in dangerous situations which will deploy and ensure the taxi return its passengers back to ground safely.