- Kyle Chua
Volocopter Air Taxi Flight Lets Passengers Take In the Sights of Marina Bay
Singapore tourists and locals alike may have a new way to experience the sights of Marina Bay once Volocopter’s first commercial air taxis take flight in the near future.
According to The Straits Times, if all go according to the German aerospace company’s proposal, the maiden flights of the service should take passengers along a 12km route over the Marina Bay area. They will take off from Marina South, passing Marina Reservoir, before heading back around the Marina Barrage and the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, then back to the point of origin. The aircraft will reportedly fly at an altitude of 100m to 150m, with the journey lasting about 15 minutes.
The announcement was made alongside a tour of the air taxi manufacturer’s newly launched public exhibition at ITE College Central in Ang Mo Kio, which houses an actual model of the VoloCity, the aircraft that will be used for the forthcoming service. CEO Mr Christian Bauer said the service is expected to be available between early- to mid-2024 during the event, adding the company will start hiring staff, such as pilots, engineers and service crew by end-2023.
Mr Bauer said that the proposed route is in "the final approval stage". As to why a tourist flight, he said the Volocopter is gearing the service more towards the over 20 million visitors of Singapore per year as the city-state doesn’t have a congestion problem on the ground.
A route around Sentosa island, which is similarly aimed at tourists, is also in the cards. After that, the next service planned is reportedly a cross-border flight from Singapore to Indonesia and Malaysia.
Currently, Volocopter is in the process of securing the necessary regulatory certifications from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and European authorities. This will involve conducting flight trials and evaluations of the vehicles to assess their airworthiness and safety. The company expects to receive its certification by 2024.
When it comes to the price of flights, Mr Bauer said he cannot give exact figures yet, but maintains that they’ll be 70% to 75% cheaper than helicopter rides, which typically cost around S$2,500. He emphasised that the aim is to make the service as affordable as a premium taxi ride in the next five to seven years.
Volocopter’s VeloCity air taxis are two-seater vehicles that sort of look like human-scale drones with multiple mini rotor blades. Touted to be quieter and more environmentally friendly, they have a range of 35km and a speed of 90km/h.
Singapore tourists and locals alike may have a new way to experience the sights of Marina Bay once Volocopter’s first commercial air taxis take flight in the near future.
The German air taxi company's proposal for its maiden flight takes passengers along a 12km route over the Marina Bay area, passing the Marina Reservoir, the Marina Barrage and the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, among other locations in the area.
The proposal is reportedly in "the final approval stage", with the service expected to be available between early- to mid-2024.