Volocopter, the infrastructures’ holding company Atlantia, and Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) – the largest airport operator in Italy – announced their partnership this week to bring electric air taxis to Rome.
The new partners aim to start developing the infrastructure to facilitate electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) operations in the capital.
Together with the Italian authorities and regulators, the partners will raise public awareness about urban air mobility (UAM) with plans to rollout the technology within the next 2-3 years.
The new service will connect the Leonardo da Vinci international airport with various places in Rome, through vertical airports.
Under the new partnership, Rome has become one of the first cities in Europe to commit to eVTOL operations in the near future.
Christian Bauer, CCO at Volocopter, said: “We are currently focusing on putting the UAM ecosystem in place in several cities, like Rome, to host our fully electric mobility solutions upon certification.
“We couldn’t have asked for better partners to bring this exciting mode of mobility to Italy than ADR, who are recognised to be one of the most innovative and sustainable airports in Europe.”
Marco Troncone, CEO at Aeroporti di Roma, said: “We are proud to contribute to shaping the future in collaboration with Volocopter, one of the most advanced developers for this new type of aircraft and service.
“This partnership testifies to ADR’s commitment towards sustainability and innovation, as well as to our aim to be pioneers in designing the smart mobility of the future.”
Carlo Bertazzo, CEO at Atlantia, added: “We are confident that the collaboration between ADR and Volocopter can give rise, in the short term, to important innovations from the industrial point of view.
“These two companies are strongly focused on the development of sustainable businesses and have a strong technical expertise.
“We will continue to support the diffusion of urban air mobility in our international hub in Rome and in our airport system of Nizza, Cannes and Saint Tropez, proud to be developing a new transport technology that we can then export to our other European airports, as well as on a global scale.”
Volocopter is exhibiting its VoloCity air taxi at Fiumicino Airport this week, with plans to move it to Piazza San Silvestro in Rome, Italy next week.
Image credit: Volocopter
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