France’s Ministry of Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion has authorized the creation of a vertiport over the River Seine in Paris, opening up space for flights by Volocopter’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft during the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will take place between July 26 and August 11.
The temporary vertiport will be located near Austerlitz station and will serve as the base of operations for VoloCity, a two-seat aircraft from the German company Volocopter. The vertiport is part of a joint project between the manufacturer and the ADP Group, the company that manages Paris airports.
Volocopter is to operate flights between the vertiport on the River Seine and other locations in Paris, including Le Bourget and Charles de Gaulle airports. As the company does not yet have authorization from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) or the French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) to operate commercially, it will be able to carry out demonstration flights, without paying passengers.
The authorization allows two operations per hour between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., with a limit of 900 movements until December 31, 2024.