The Volocopter 2X flying taxi performed a series of tests. It is now the first of its kind to ever vertically take off at the international airport, fully integrated into the same airspace as other commercial passenger craft.
During its first flight at the Helsinki International Airport on Thursday, the eVTOL craft built by German startup Volocopter demonstrated its ability to integrate with both the Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) system.
The series of tests are actually intended to show that air traffic management systems – designed for both traditional piloted flight and autonomous aircraft – can operate in concert with one another. The systems can operate even in areas with dense sky traffic, including our cities.
Additionally, the flight trial demonstrated how ATM and UTM can act in combination to enable safe and efficient air taxi operation in urban environments, including airports.
The successful demonstration is really a great news for Volocopter. It came after Volocopter revealed the designs for its first commercial autonomous flying taxi earlier this month. The company hopes to have air taxis in the sky by 2023, but it will need to build take-off and landing infrastructure and integrate with air traffic management systems.
