Volocopter yesterday announced that it would open a production facility in Bruchsal with a new hangar to host its final assembly line and an airfield to conduct flight tests, as well as quality checks.
Company-owned production sites will manufacture the first EASA-certified electric air taxis and ramp up into full operation in April, offering commercial services starting next year.
Volocopter’s production facilities have the capacity and regulatory approval to assemble 50+ VoloCity aircraft each year. Since 2021, the company has held an approval as a production organisation in compliance with EASA regulation.
This certification covers the entire VoloCity production process and includes the manufacturing of carbon fiber parts, all aspects of the electric propulsion unit, final assembly with decking of the propulsion system and fuselage, and extensive end-of-line flight tests.
The opening ceremony featured a crewed flight of the Volocopter 2X with key guests that included Dr Volker Wissing, Federal Minister of Digital Affairs and Transport; Winfried Kretschmann, Minister of the State for Baden-Württemberg; Dr Anna Christmann, Federal Government Coordinator for German Aerospace Policy; and upward of 70 business and political representatives.
Volocopter CEO Dirk Hoke said: “This region is known for transforming mobility, like the bicycle, the car, and soon Volocopter too. Electric air taxi technology made in Germany will make the world a more sustainable place.”
Volocopter program manager Andreas Fehring added: “The VoloCity has completed its critical design review and it is not easy to set up a production facility for an entirely new type of aircraft, but my team has done a phenomenal job.”
Federal Minister of Transport Dr Volker Wissing continued: “Germany is already a world leader in the development of air taxis, thanks in part to Volocopter’s great pioneering spirit.
“We are working with key industry players on a strategy for air taxi operations here in Germany, in which all technical and legal issues are addressed without delay. We are doing this so that the first drones carrying people and goods can take off soon.”
Volocopter claims it is the first and only eVTOL company to receive Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), having committed to launching commercial air taxi services in cities like Singapore, Rome, Saudi Arabia’s NEOM, and Paris as early as 2024.
Last month, Volocopter and SITA, the world’s leading IT provider to the air transport industry, entered a partnership with SITA as Volocopter’s preferred digital and IT systems partner for vertiports.
