It’s not exactly a flying car like in the movie Blade Runner or TV show The Jetsons, but travelers will soon be able to take an air taxi from the airport in Rome, Italy, to locations throughout the city. A trip in the rotor-bladed battery-powered aircraft is projected to take around 15 minutes instead of the usual 45 minutes — or more — by car.
German startup Volocopter builds the air taxi, known as VoloCity. Volocopter and Aeroporti di Roma, the airport operating company that manages Leonardo Da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport outside Rome, recently announced that the plan is scheduled to begin in less than 3 years.
“The connection will be very swift,” Marco Troncone, Aeroporti di Roma’s CEO, told Reuters during an event at the airport when Volocopter showcased an air taxi prototype. “It will be a silent journey and… the level of emissions will be zero.”
What’s An Air Taxi?
Volocopter’s VoloCity will initially be able to carry two people, one of whom is the pilot, Volocopter explains. Eventually, the air taxi will fly autonomously without pilots.
The air taxi, which can travel at a maximum speed of 68 miles per hour, is fitted with 18 independent rotors powered by the same number of motors. Those electric motors are powered by nine lithium batteries.
The VoloCity has a maximum take-off weight of 1,984 pounds, Volocopter explains. The air taxi itself weighs 1,543 pounds, which means right around 440 pounds is available for the pilot, passenger, and luggage.
How The Program Will Work
The air taxi program is scheduled to begin within the next 3 years, which is the time it will take to finalize the related flight regulations, secure a commercial air license from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and develop the vertiports needed for the air taxis, Christian Bauer, Volocopter’s Chief Commercial Officer, explains.
When it’s operational, the new service will connect the Leonardo da Vinci international hub with various places in Rome, through vertical airports. The footprint of those locations will be small because the air taxi takes off and lands vertically — like a helicopter.
Expected Benefits
There will be several benefits that stem from the use of air taxis in Rome. The first is that their use will greatly reduce both traffic congestion and CO2 emissions because the VoloCity’s 18 engines are electric.
Then there are benefits for travelers. First, use of the air taxi will only take about 15 minutes, saving travelers time.
Perhaps more importantly, however, the use of air taxis means travelers won’t need to rely on public transportation. As an Agence France-Presse story running on France 24 notes, “Italy’s ancient capital suffers from a notoriously creaky public transportation system, with pothole-laden roads that wreak havoc on tires, aging buses that sporadically go up in flames, and metro stations that are often shuttered for months.”
Know Before You Fly
The initial cost of a ride on an air taxi is expected to be around $175, Troncone, Aeroporti di Roma’s CEO, told Reuters. However, he also said that the price is likely to come down later as the service becomes mainstream.
If you’d like to travel on an air taxi but have no need or desire to travel to Rome, you’ll soon have other opportunities.
The city of Paris has already committed to a collaboration so it will have operational air taxis in time for the 2024 Olympic Games. What’s more, an EASA study showed Berlin would also be a suitable city for the development of air taxis, the Reuters article notes.
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