A move to approve the use of a barge in the Seine for flying taxis during the Paris Olympics has prompted the threat of legal action by the city’s leaders.
European start-up Volocopter has been allowed demonstration flights of its two-seater Volocity aircraft during the games, although it was denied permission by regulators to offer full commercial services.
The French capital’s airport operator, Aeroports de Paris, was given approval by the government build a “vertiport” on the Seine, near Austerlitz railway station in central Paris.
But Paris City Hall is opposed to the project and said it would take legal action on grounds that the take-offs and landings would create noise pollution and raise greenhouse emissions and energy consumption.
“It’s a project for the super rich,” said Dan Lert, the deputy in charge of environmental change.
President Emmanuel Macron has been keen to showcase flying taxis at the games as a symbol of the country’s innovation and technological prowess, with visitors envisaged darting across Paris in the helicopter-like craft.
Apart from Volocopter, rivals Joby Aviation and Archer Aviation were also part of the race to provide flying taxis for the Paris games.
But their ambitions plans met resistance as regulators are keen to carefully scrutinise the new type of aircraft.
Four heliports for flying taxis have already been set up in Paris, including one at Charles de Gaulle airport, but the Austerlitz site will be the first within the city.
The Paris heliport will be allowed to operate only between 8am and 5pm, with two flights an hour and a total of 900 flights overall allowed during the “experimentation period”, which runs until December 31.
Volocity will have a pilot and one passenger on board – like the world’s first commercial flight in 1914 – with enough room for hand luggage.
Technically known as an electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, it has the body of a conventional helicopter but instead of rotors, it has 18 battery-powered propellers.
Dirk Hoke, Volocopter’s chief executive, believes the Paris debut of its air taxi will display the technology to the world and mark the dawn of a new era of “urban air mobility”.
“This will change the world as we know it,” Mr Hoke previously told The National.
“Even if it doesn’t happen in one or two years, we will see it slowly ramping up towards the end of the decade and we will see a full acceleration in the 2030s.”
Volocopter already has 700 employees and has secured a reported $762 million in investment. The company faced funding problems in May when the government of Bavaria oulled out plans to invest $110 million.
But Volocopter later said it had secured finance from several existing shareholders it declined to identify.
The company has completed a series of test flights in Neom, the futuristic city being built in Saudi Arabia, as part of the kingdom's push towards sustainable and smart mobility.
By the end of 2026, Volocopter will have developed six-seater aircraft with the aim of offering commuters the chance to beat the traffic.
Volocopter told The National it was seeking the permission of French authorities to begin the "operational validation" of its aircraft.
"During this phase, it is of utmost importance to us and our partners to demonstrate how urban air mobility can improve the lives of city dwellers, especially when the world’s eyes are on Paris," it said.
"As with every novel technology, we anticipate receiving concerns and questions. These are valuable insights for us and we are committed to continually addressing them with our partners."
Aeroports de Paris have been approached for comment.
