dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • Cities
  • Technology

NEOM and Volocopter: First Electric Air Taxi Flight in Saudi Arabia

  • June 21, 2023
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
  • Successful testing of Volocopter aircraft and first eVTOL flight in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia marking another step towards adoption and commercial eVTOL operation in NEOM and beyond
  • NEOM, Volocopter, and Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) target readiness and growth of eVTOL operations in KSA through ongoing collaboration and NEOM-based air taxi testbed

NEOM, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 21 June 2023 – NEOM, the smart and sustainable regional development in northwest Saudi Arabia, and Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), announced today the successful completion of a series of air taxi test flights. This marks the first time an eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft has received a special flight authorization and performed test flights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The flight test campaign lasted over a week and built on 18 months of collaboration between NEOM, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), and Volocopter, with the aim of implementing and scaling an electric UAM ecosystem and testbed in NEOM. The parties worked closely to ensure full regulatory compliance and safety ahead of the test campaign.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO of NEOM, said: “The successful test flight of a Volocopter eVTOL is not just another milestone towards the creation of NEOM’s innovative, sustainable, multimodal transportation system – it is a tangible example of NEOM as a global accelerator and incubator of solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Driving the development of smart, sustainable, and safe mobility systems will improve livability and connectivity in cities around the world and reduce carbon emissions, creating a cleaner future for all.”

His Excellency, Abdulaziz A. Al-Duailej, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: “This safe and successful test flight represents an important milestone of the Saudi aviation sector and another steady step towards achieving the aviation sector’s strategy, through innovation and employing emerging technologies to create new industries that contribute to the output GDP and create more jobs. It also confirms GACA’s commitment to enabling the safe integration of innovative air transport patterns that improve the mobility experience of individuals in urban areas and the quality of life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

NEOM and Volocopter share a joint vision of creating a better future through innovative, clean technology. As part of a multimodal transport system, electric air mobility reflects NEOM’s ambition to revolutionize mobility and transform people’s lives. In 2021, NEOM and Volocopter founded a joint venture to scale advanced air mobility, positioning NEOM as a collaborative, global living lab for the future of transportation.

Christian Bauer, Chief Commercial Officer of Volocopter: “It is beyond exciting to see our work from the past 18 months come to fruition. As the first eVTOL aircraft to ever test in Saudi Arabia, we are proud to have lain the groundworks for our future collaboration here in NEOM.”

The test campaign focused on the flight performance of the Volocopter aircraft in local climate and environmental conditions, as well as testing its integration into the local unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) system.

Volocopter eVTOLs will be key to NEOM’s smart and sustainable multimodal mobility system, which will be powered by 100% renewable energy, generated by solar and wind energy sources. They will be used in a variety of roles, including as air taxis and emergency response vehicles, and are quieter, more easily adaptable, and cheaper to operate than the helicopters often employed today. They have smaller on-ground infrastructure footprint, fewer operating restrictions, and employ smart and autonomous capabilities that ensure both safety and sustained relevance in future contexts.

The test flight announcement builds on NEOM’s EUR 175 million investment and joint venture with Volocopter and positions NEOM as a leader in future mobility solutions. Volocopter expects to obtain type certification of its VoloCity air taxi in 2024, enabling future commercial operations. Volocopter recently announced the commencement of VoloCity serial production at its facilities in Bruchsal, Germany, with a capacity to deliver more than 50 aircraft a year under one shift conditions.

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • Air Taxi
  • Aircraft
  • eVTOL
  • NEOM
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Volocopter
dotlah.com

Previous Article
sandor-szabo-vGg-oZfdXcc-unsplash
  • Op-Ed
  • People
  • Technology

Embracing The Human Spirit In The Age Of AI. A Broader Perspective On Opportunities, Challenges, And Safety.

  • June 19, 2023
View Post
Next Article
Laptop | Tools
  • Features
  • People

Tools Of The Trade: Essential Tools For Crafts, Arts, And Trades.

  • June 21, 2023
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Meet Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series: Packing Everything You Expect From a Premium Tablet

  • Dean Marc
  • September 4, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

Malaysia’s ‘ASEAN Shenzhen’ needs some significant legal reform to take off — here’s how

  • dotlah.com
  • August 25, 2025
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Samsung Electronics Debuts Odyssey G7 Monitors, Showcasing Top Games on Its Displays at Gamescom 2025

  • Dean Marc
  • August 20, 2025
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Technology

Thoughts on America’s AI Action Plan

  • Dean Marc
  • July 24, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

ESWIN Computing launches the EBC77 Series Single Board Computer with Ubuntu

  • dotlah.com
  • July 17, 2025
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones

  • Dean Marc
  • July 9, 2025
View Post
  • Cities
  • Technology

Meralco PowerGen’s PacificLight starts up 100 MW fast-response plant in Singapore

  • dotlah.com
  • June 20, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

Apple services deliver powerful features and intelligent updates to users this autumn

  • Dean Marc
  • June 12, 2025


Trending
  • 1
    • Cities
    • Society
    Outbreaks Like Coronavirus Start In And Spread From The Edges Of Cities
    • February 17, 2020
  • 2
    • Lah!
    Drawing On Design Principles To Build A 5G Future
    • June 29, 2021
  • mpa-singapore 3
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    Resilience Budget For The Maritime Industry
    • March 29, 2020
  • 4
    • Technology
    Why Data Is Key To Solving Asia’s Most Pressing Problems
    • July 15, 2021
  • 5
    • Lah!
    • Society
    DBS Is Sole Company In ASEAN In Top Global Quartile Of Bloomberg’s Gender-Equality Index
    • January 30, 2021
  • 6
    • Cities
    Why Is Tap Water Not Safe Anymore Even In High Quality Cities
    • May 22, 2020
  • lgbt-rainbow-flag-photo-1560379790-d7f9dd2b6116 7
    • People
    The Different Types Of LGBTQ+ Flags And Why They Are Important
    • October 29, 2021
  • group-of-people-social-media-pexels-cottonbro-8088495 8
    • Features
    • People
    The Role Of Neuroticism In Social Media Addiction
    • April 9, 2022
  • 9
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    Project Wolbachia-Singapore Suppresses Aedes Aegypti Mosquito Population And Reduces Dengue Cases At Release Sites
    • July 7, 2021
  • 10
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    Singapore Among The Leaders In Ease Of Doing Business
    • October 4, 2019
  • 11
    • Lah!
    • Technology
    Singapore And World Economic Forum Driving AI Adoption And Innovation
    • January 22, 2020
  • 12
    • Lah!
    A Fresh Digital Start For Environmental Services
    • May 29, 2021
Trending
  • Kitchen Knives - Best All-Around Picks in 2025 1
    Kitchen Knives : The Surgeons of Cooking – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 15, 2025
  • 2
    Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the most powerful and advanced Pro models ever
    • September 9, 2025
  • 3
    Apple debuts iPhone 17
    • September 9, 2025
  • Fruits and vegetables for cooking. For food processors. 4
    Food Processor: The Swiss Army Knife of the Kitchen – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 8, 2025
  • 5
    Meet Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series: Packing Everything You Expect From a Premium Tablet
    • September 4, 2025
  • 6
    Malaysia’s ‘ASEAN Shenzhen’ needs some significant legal reform to take off — here’s how
    • August 25, 2025
  • French Fries 7
    Air Fryer: The One Cooking Appliance to Rule Them All – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • August 22, 2025
  • 8
    Samsung Electronics Debuts Odyssey G7 Monitors, Showcasing Top Games on Its Displays at Gamescom 2025
    • August 20, 2025
  • 9
    HP Cranks Up the Game with Smarter Systems, Cooler Builds, and Gear That Hits Different
    • August 14, 2025
  • 10
    New Trump tariffs: early modelling shows most economies lose – the US more than many
    • August 6, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.