Vertical take-off tests in Paris
The Pontoise airfield in the Île-de-France region around Paris will be home to a new test centre dedicated to sustainable urban air mobility. It was inaugurated by ‘Choose Paris Region’, the airport operator Groupe ADP and the RATP Group recently. The inauguration paves the way for trial flights in real conditions of electric vertical take-off and landing aeroplanes (eVTOL).
The commissioning of the test area was marked by trial flights by Skyports (a drone flight dedicated to logistics for medical nees) and by Pipistrel, a manufacturer of a fully electric aircraft.
The companies Volocopter, Airbus, Vertical Aerospace, Ascendance, Lilium (a German aviation company) and the USA’s eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation have all also announced their intention of joining the Île-de-France region test project. (cj)