Will there be flying cabs for the Paris 2024 Olympics?
Paris will host the 2024 Olympic Games. France has always shown its ambition to offer the world unforgettable games. The French capital has undergone many changes in preparation for the Olympics. In particular, to answer the visitors' question, "how to get around Paris during the Olympic Games?"
Paris has launched a number of projects to help millions of people get around the city. One of the French projects involved flying cabs for the Paris 2024 Olympics. For many reasons, the project was canceled, although you may still see an air taxi in Paris this summer. Read this article to know everything about air taxis.
What is the air taxi project for the Paris Olympic Games?
As mentioned above, there will be no flying taxis in the skies for the 2024 Olympics. It was a disappointment as many people thought that Paris would be the first city in the world to experiment with electric flying cabs during the Summer Olympics. But, the Paris City Council rejected the experiment. Elected officials called it absurd and environmentally unsound.
The project was to set up an air service using VTOLs (vertical take-off and landing vehicles). These were a dozen small electric helicopters built by Volocopter a German start-up. The helicopters, called Velocity, are equipped with 18 rotors powered by nine batteries. They fly at an altitude of 500 meters, at 110 km/h, with a range of 35 kilometers.
According to the start-up, Volocopter is the pioneer of Urban Air Mobility, that is an emerging branch of all-electric aviation. Their air cabs will provide alternative and affordable transportation solutions. Still, according to the company, the Volocopter is emission-free and more sustainable than ever before.
Volocity: three different routes for the air taxi services
The ADP Group wanted to use the Games to test three routes in the Paris region. The first route was from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle airport to Le Bourget. The second one was from the Paris heliport at Issy-les-Moulineaux to the Saint-Cyr-l'Ecole airfield. And the third one, from the Paris heliport to the Quai d'Austerlitz.
ADP wants to install a barge on the Seine to enable its Volocity to take off and land vertically. The third route would be the only one into Paris. To avoid flying over the building, the Volocity would fly over the Seine.
Volocopter is still hoping to have some of its Volocity vehicles in the skies over Paris during the Olympics. The German manufacturer of flying cabs is waiting for certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency. If they do, they will be able to make daily test flights over Paris during the Olympics. Although the first passengers will be guests and tickets will not be for sale.
Medical emergency air taxi project
Although you won't be able to take an air taxi during the Olympic Games, the Ile-de-France region intends to develop this mode of transport in the long term, including for emergencies. The station, located on the Seine at the Gare d'Austerlitz, has the advantage of being close to the largest hospital in Paris, the Pitié-Salpêtrière.
These Volocity vehicles will one day be able to transport organs for transplants or even slightly injured patients. The experiment during the Olympic Games is intended to test the usefulness of these flying taxis in a real situation.
Air taxi projects in the world
There are other projects around the world. The flying cabs for the Paris 2024 Olympics were just one. Most of the manufacturers were present at the Paris Air Show in 2024. In addition to Volocopter, Chinese, Brazilian and American companies have helicopters that are already flying or in the process of being certified.
The American company has a ten-rotor helicopter that flies at 240 km/h and seats four passengers. Production began at the beginning of this year. Testing in U.S. cities will begin in late 2024. Los Angeles transportation officials are gearing up for the future. They expect to have electric, drone-like air cabs in operation by the 2028 Summer Olympics.
It's in Asia where the first flying cabs are taking off. China has become the first country in the world to certify an autonomous electric flying taxi. This is a kind of automatically piloted drone. The commercial launch of this vehicle of the future will begin in China's major cities. It will go down in aviation history as the first flying taxi.
How to get around Paris during the Olympic Games
Getting to Paris for the 2024 Games? Even if there are no flying cabs for the Paris 2024 Olympics, you'll still have other ways to get around the city. Paris is expecting more than 15 million visitors this summer. The Games Transportation Planning Committee has increased bus, métro and train service by 15% during the Olympics. Get a Paris 2024 Pass to use public transportation.
If you're worried about overcrowding on public transport in Paris, you can get around the city by bike. Paris has widened its bike lanes and ordered 20,000 bike racks. Vélib Métropole makes it easy to rent a bike in the city. You can buy a daily or weekly pass.
It's no secret that driving in the French city during the Olympic events won't be easy. During the summer, a security perimeter will be set up around all Olympic venues. It will be accessible only to those who have a traffic permit, a QR code stored on your cell phone. Please note that taxis will be allowed to drive within the traffic perimeters.
If you're visiting Paris during the Olympics, you may be wondering how to get around Paris during the Games. And while you won't be taking flying cabs for the Paris 2024 Olympics, check out our other articles to prepare for your trip to France:
