German air taxi developer Volocopter has inked a deal with international aviation services company Bristow Group, covering 80 of the startup’s VoloCity aircraft for services planned in both the US and UK.
The accord calls for Houston, Texas-based Bristow to buy two Volocopter VoloCity air taxis outright, with an option to acquire 78 more. The battery-powered planes will be used for both passenger and cargo transport activity slated for launch in the US and UK in 2025.
The agreement essentially casts Bristow as the operator of Volocopter next-generation aircraft services in those countries – activity the German firm intends to handle on its own in its de facto domestic European Union market. Volocopter is on target to initiate its first, largely demonstration air taxi flights during the Summer Olympics in Paris next year.
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To do so, the company anticipates 2024 craft certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), followed by quasi-concurrent approval the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has said it will grant. All that would open the way for Bristow to use pilot-and-single-passenger VoloCity for US air taxi activity in 2025.
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Additional certification of VoloCity – and subsequent longer-haul versions of craft like VoloRegion – would be required in the UK, though regulators there have already begun harmonizing their criteria with EASA and FAA standards.
Assuming reception of those approvals as anticipated, Volocopter air taxis would enter service about the same time US competitors Joby and Archer plan to launch flights in 2025.
“Our partnership with Bristow, and the firm VoloCity orders received, propels us forward as we unlock new markets,” said Volocopter chief financial officer Christian Bauer. “With this collaboration, Volocopter surpassed 500 pre-orders accumulated, including nearly 30 firm orders from reputational partners. I am filled with excitement toward the vast potential of the US and UK markets, and looking forward to working with Bristow’s experienced team as we prepare for operations.”
In addition to the potential 80 VoloCity air taxis Bristow is set to acquire, the deal calls for Volocopter to provide the full ecosystem required to operate new aerial services. Included in those are maintenance, servicing, training, and commercial capabilities, as well as its digital VoloIQ platform serving as the unifying operating system of all major facets of flight, navigation, and ground activity.
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In order to prepare for the debut of air taxi flights under their accord, Volocopter and Bristow – which continues to diversify from its legacy helicopter transportation – will lay the groundwork for infrastructure and other facilities necessary to support VoloCity shuttles of goods and passengers.
“Launching this collaborative effort with Volocopter marks a major milestone in Bristow’s effort to usher in a new era of vertical transportation solutions,” said Dave Stepanek, executive vice president of Bristow. “Volocopter has taken a pragmatic approach to certification with a simple and elegant initial aircraft design and is leading the pack in its efforts to bring their aircraft to market. We are looking forward to lending our 75+ years of innovation and expertise in bringing new aircraft into service and developing new markets side-by-side Volocopter.”
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