French & Italian Airports Join Hands to Launch Electric Air Taxi Company

• 15 November 2021
• Local News
• 909 Views

A group of airports in Italy and France have launched a company to jointly study the feasibility of electrically powered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles in Europe, reported GCR.

Called Urban Blue, the company is jointly owned by airports in Rome, Venice, Bologna and Nice. The initial aim is to study the operation feasibility of the vertiport network as well as the technical and financial problems that may occur.

According to Urban Blue, the market value for European VTOL services is estimated to be more than €4bn by 2030. Thus, the firm hopes to be the only player active in the urban air mobility segment with master planning and infrastructure management skills.

Urban Blue has also consolidated relationships with global VTOL manufacturers and operators, with an extensive network of trade and industrial relations for an international roll-out.

The same source added Rome and Paris plan to begin offering a VTOL taxi service in 2024. Italy as a whole is targeting large-scale commercial VTOL routes by 2030.

• Technology and Engineering
• Airport and Aviation