Germany based Urban Air Mobility firm Volocopter has targeted air taxi service in Singapore within the next three years.
Working with the Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), for the past two years, Volocopter has committed to bringing air taxi services to the Lion City by 2023.
It completed a landmark demonstration flight over Marina Bay last year, and will conduct tests, flight trials, and evaluations, before receiving the appropriate approvals from CAAS and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
"Our successful cooperation with EDB, MOT, and CAAS on our previous flight has shown that there is no better place in Asia to launch our electric air taxi services than in Singapore," said Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter.
"The city’s research institutes conducting R&D play an integral part in this."
The first route is expected to be a short leisure itinerary offering skyline views above Marina Bay and later routes may include cross-border flights.
The air taxis take-off and land vertically and produce no carbon emissions.
They can carry two passengers.
"This gives us the opportunity to co-create regulations and technologies with the industry, facilitating innovation to enable a future mode of transportation for Singapore," said Tan Kah Han, Senior Director (Unmanned Systems Group) at CAAS.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
