Soon Singaporeans will see cars up in the sky, not inside theatres or on their television but on the Singapore skyline for real.
In a statement released late last week, German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter has entered into a partnership with UK-based vertiport owner and operator Skyports, with plans to complete the first eve Vlo-port in Singapore by the end of this year.
According to the Volocopter spokesperson, the construction was intended to be completed in time for scheduled public flight trials in the second half of 2019.
The Volo-Port features ground-based vertiport infrastructure composing of physical landing pads for electric vertical take-off and landing of (eVtol) aircraft, which includes air taxis.
This Volo-Port prototype will make real-life testing of the full customer journey to refine passenger experiences while showcasing planned customer services such as pre-flight checks, passenger lounges and boarding procedures.
It would also allow practical testing of ground operations and services as well as provide an outlet for the authorities and industry regulators to assess the infrastructure before approving the design, Volocopter added.
“Receiving the commercial licence for air taxi aircraft is a question of time, not possibility. We are thus focusing on shaping the necessary ecosystem around urban air mobility including air traffic management, city regulation and the take-off and landing infrastructure,” Alex Zosel, co-founder of Volocopter said.
“Each individual Volo-Port is designed so that it can stand alone or connect to other ports in numerous formations, enabling rapid development and scalability. We have analysed the available spaces and movement dynamics in city centres across the world and recognise that infrastructure is a key enabler for the emerging urban air mobility market,” Duncan Walker, managing director of Skyports added.
The test flights are supported by the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and the Economic Development Board.
Volocopters
These are emission-free, electrically-powered aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing. Though they look like helicopters, the vehicles are in fact built upon drone technology, with the ability to carry two individuals over a distance of 30km.
The Volocopter is specifically designed for flights within the confines of inner cities, and is able to sustain stable flight even in micro turbulence around skyscrapers. -/TISG