Volocopter’s electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft has completed a series of air taxi test flights in NEOM’s “smart and sustainable regional development” in northwest Saudi Arabia.
This marks the first time that an eVTOL aircraft has received flight authorisation and performed test flights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The flight testing programme lasted over a week, following 18 months of collaboration between NEOM, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) and Volocopter.
Christian Bauer, Chief Commercial Officer of Volocopter said:It is beyond exciting to see our work from the past 18 months come to fruition. As the first eVTOL aircraft to ever test in Saudi Arabia, we are proud to have lain the groundworks for our future collaboration here in NEOM.
Ultimately, this project aims to implement and scale an urban air mobility ecosystem and testbed in NEOM as part of a multimodal transport system that will be powered by 100% renewable energy.
Within this network, eVTOLs will be used in a variety of roles, including as air taxis and emergency response vehicles.
Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said:The successful test flight of a Volocopter eVTOL is not just another milestone towards the creation of NEOM’s innovative, sustainable, multimodal transportation system – it is a tangible example of NEOM as a global accelerator and incubator of solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Driving the development of smart, sustainable, and safe mobility systems will improve livability and connectivity in cities around the world and reduce carbon emissions, creating a cleaner future for all.
