BERLIN: NEOM Company has announced the successful testing of Volocopter plane and the first electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) flight in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), marking another positive step towards implementation and commercial eVTOL operation in NEOM and outside.
NEOM firm and Volocopter made the announcement regarding the successful completion of air taxi test flights in the firm. This marks the first time an eVTOL airplane has received special flight permission and completed test flights in the Kingdom.
NEOM Announces Success of 1st Air Taxi Flights
The flight test drive lasted over a week and was built on eighteen months of cooperation between NEOM, the General Authority of Civil Aviation, and Volocopter, with the objective of executing and scaling an electric UAM ecosystem and conducting tests in NEOM. The two sides worked very closely to guarantee complete regulatory compliance and protection ahead of the test drive.
Speaking on the occasion, GACA head Abdulaziz Al-Duailej said that this successful and safe test flight represents a key milestone of the Saudi aviation department and another stable measure towards attaining the aviation sector’s strategy via innovation and engaging new and emerging technologies to create innovative industries that contribute to the output GDP and create additional jobs.
In his speech, Nadhmi Al-Nasr, Chief Executive Officer of NEOM, said that the positive test flight of a Volocopter eVTOL is another landmark towards the formation of NEOM’s innovative and multimodal transportation system. Driving the development of sustainable and safe mobility systems will enhance connectivity in different cities across the world and decrease carbon emissions, creating a cleaner future for everyone,” he maintained.
Similarly, Christian Bauer, chief commercial officer of Volocopter, said that it is beyond exciting to see their work from the past eighteen months come to completion. As the first eVTOL airplane to ever test in the Kingdom, they are proud to have laid the groundwork for their future collaboration in NEOM.
