German air taxi maker Volocopter has completed a series of flight tests in NEOM, the futuristic city being built in Saudi Arabia, as part of the kingdom’s push towards sustainable and smart mobility.
This marks the first time an eVTOL, or electric vertical take-off and landing, aircraft performed test flights in Saudi Arabia, NEOM announced in a statement on Wednesday.
“This safe and successful test flight represents an important milestone of the Saudi aviation sector,” said Abdulaziz Al Duailej, president of the General Authority of Civil Aviation.
This builds on NEOM’s announcement in 2022 of a $175 million Series E investment in German air mobility company Volocopter. It also follows a joint venture between the two to operate electric air taxi services in the city to connect various areas, including The Line, Oxagon, and Trojena.
Volocopter eVTOLs will be key to NEOM’s smart and sustainable multimodal mobility system, which will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, NEOM said.
The flight test focused on the performance of the Volocopter aircraft in the local climate and environmental conditions, as well as testing its integration into the local traffic management system.
With a maximum airspeed of 110 kilometres per hour, the 18-rotor aircraft has room for a pilot and a passenger.