Volocopter pushes forward with plans to secure FAA approval and bring its eVTOL aircraft service to US cities
Volocopter is edging closer to bringing its commercial air taxi services to the USA, after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted its application for concurrent Type Certificate validation.
The German startup is seeking FAA approval to enter the U.S. market concurrently with its European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certificate — as it pushes on with plans to accelerate its worldwide expansion.
Volocopter is currently working with EASA on certification for commercial launch planned in the next two to three years. When the company receives type certification approval from EASA, immediately followed by the FAA validation in this timeframe, it says it will be positioned to enter the eVTOL air taxi market first and pave the way for the urban air mobility industry to expand services globally.
Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter, said: “We are the ‘Pioneer of Urban Air Mobility’ and our accomplishments are setting the stage for more extensive adoption of urban air mobility implementation by our industry.
“By focusing on a collaborative approach to success, we are bringing excellence, expertise, and experience to the table together with our partners, and with that, we are leading the way to bring urban air mobility to life in cities around the globe.”
Volocopter is the first and only eVTOL aircraft developer with Design Organisation Approval (DOA) — the license to develop and build certified aircraft from EASA — and is currently in the process of receiving Type Certification for its VoloCity aircraft.
By offering concurrent type certificate validation, the FAA gives aircraft manufacturers like Volocopter the opportunity to show that they are fulfilling the necessary requirements parallel to being certified by the primary authority of the company’s current jurisdiction. This format promotes open communication about certification and safety qualifications internationally.
Reuter added: “From the beginning, we have considered the U.S. an important market for our services. Certification is the key to this market, and we are excited to begin the process of seeking approval from the FAA to introduce this innovative era of mobility not only in Europe and Asia but also in the U.S.”
The VoloCity air taxi has been built specifically to meet the growing demand for better intra-city mobility in large US cities, such as Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
Volocopter already has a decade of experience in full-scale aircraft testing experience and has built up substantial international partnerships and investors. It has also already demonstrated their expertise in electric flight for inner-city mobility, with agreements in Singapore, Paris, and Dubai.
Additionally, it is orchestrating a complete UAM ecosystem with their innovative backend – the digital operating system VoloIQ, an open API platform for the UAM industry. This will provide benefits such as:
- optimal passenger experience
- highest level of operational safety
- partner integration for logistics, infrastructure, and supplier
- and productive regulator and city collaboration for implementing these services