(Rome) With pothole-strewn thoroughfares and unbearable car traffic, the solution to reaching Rome city center from Fiumicino airport may soon be to gain altitude, with the commissioning of an electric air taxi within three years.
In any case, this is what the German company Volocopter – designer of the vehicle, the operator of the airport in the Italian capital ADR and the holding company for transport infrastructure Atlantia, proclaimed in a joint statement, in a joint statement.
Those responsible for this project, called VoloCity – also under study for Paris and Singapore, promise to transport travelers from the airport to the city center in 20 minutes, without polluting emissions, at a maximum speed of 110 kilometers / time.
Certainly, at the beginning, only one person will be able to board it with the pilot. This “until the aircraft flies completely autonomously”, which means that it can then accommodate two passengers, said the press release.
The Fiumicino project also requires the development of “vertiports” to allow these new type of taxis to take off and land vertically.
“A leap into the future”
Thursday in Rome, the sparkling white VoloCity, parked in a square near the famous Trevi fountain, was a sensation with passers-by.
“I wish they thought more of the rail system before they soared into the sky,” commented Giuseppe, 32, who declined to give his last name.
He nevertheless recognizes that “it is a leap into the future”. “We’re talking about going to Mars, so it’s the least we can do,” he blurted out with irony.
The media have put 140 euros (200 Canadian dollars) the price of the trip in this aerial vehicle between Fiumicino and the city center, when taking a normal taxi costs 48 euros ($ 70) and the train at 14 euros (20 $) for a 32-minute journey.
The Italian capital suffers from a notoriously failing public transport system, with aging buses in particular catching fire sporadically and metro stations often closed for months.
The idea of flying taxis is gaining ground all over the planet, as part of efforts to decongest the roads and limit pollution.
Several companies, including transport services giant Uber and automaker General Motors, are working on so-called “vertical take-off and landing planes,” but major challenges remain, particularly with regard to regulatory and safety issues.