ISLAMABAD (PEN) : It was an exciting vision: autonomous flying taxis whisking spectators through the Paris Olympics, their electric engines softly buzzing as they soared over the city, heralding a new chapter in public transport.
However, delays in certification meant that dream didn’t come to fruition for Paris 2024. But the team behind the Volocopter, which was set to transport Olympic fans, hasn’t given up hope. On the last day of the Olympics, they conducted a test flight, showcasing their aircraft with a sunrise demonstration above the majestic Versailles Palace, where the first hot-air balloon took off back in 1783.
While the craft carried only baggage and no passengers during this test, it was a significant step forward. The plan for the Paris Games included a small fleet of these pilotless air taxis, managed by Germany’s Volocopter and the Paris airport authority ADP, with five designated Olympic routes, including a landing on the Seine River. Volocopter’s CEO, Dirk Hoke, even hoped that French President Emmanuel Macron might be the first to experience this new mode of transport.
But despite the ambitious plans, ADP’s CEO, Augustin de Romanet, announced that they were unable to secure certification from Europe’s air safety agency in time for the Games.
Still, manufacturers of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, or eVTOLs, remain optimistic about the future. Around the globe, companies are pushing to get their flying models approved for use.
Volocopter now sets its sights on the next major event in Paris—the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral in December—as a potential opportunity to start carrying passengers. And for the Summer Games in Los Angeles 2028, the hope is to see the vision of Olympic spectators traveling between venues in autonomous flying taxis become a reality.
