The Olympic games are now taking place. I thought the opening ceremony was brilliant and impressive, even if it triggered some discussions. But from an aviation perspective, there was one thing missing...
For a long while, the promise was the same: air taxis would be flying in Paris for the games. And I expected to see at least a static one during the ceremony. They can't yet fly at night or in bad weather, which I understand. But a static one would have been nice.
Now, a few days after the ceremony, and with nice weather, there's still no air taxi in sight. The French government
released a decree, authorizing Volocopter's VoloCity as the only type of aircraft that could land on the newly created platform near the Austerlitz bridge, in the city center. The decree is pretty restrictive, with operations only allowed from 9 am to 5 pm and limited to two movements per hour. In aviation terms, a landing is a movement and a take-off is a movement too, which limits the activity at that temporary Vertiport to one flight per hour.
The city of Paris tried to question this decision but got no formal answer. And, the fundamental decision has been postponed until this autumn. So, nothing is preventing operations, at least from a legal point of view.
Volocopter has had multiple demonstration and test flights recently, and even if certification for commercial operation during the games has not been achieved, the latest plans were based on flying passengers to and from the new Vertiport at Austerlitz. However, no details were given about where flights should operate to and from. Integration into the traffic of CDG, Orly and Le Bourget certainly creates some challenges. Pontoise and Issy-les-Moulineaux could be candidates as well. And, what about local flights?
For now, there is no air taxi in sight. Not even one on static display and everybody is very, very quiet about this. Was it an illusion from the beginning? Did something change at the last minute? Does this relate to regulation or is it related to Volocopter's financial challenges? It is impossible to say at the moment but we'll be keeping our eyes on it...