The air travel scenario is continuously changing to accommodate new concepts. One of these is the air taxi. Italy plans to introduce air taxis in the cities of Rome, Venice, and Bologna. These battery-powered vehicles are pollution-free, and they would reduce global warming. That would be a central plus point when the world is trying to evolve strategies to neutralize the ill effects of Climate change. The air taxi could be a solution to eliminate the harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and save the environment.
Airports in the Italian cities of Rome, Venice, and Bologna and on the French Riviera are upbeat about this new mode of transport.
They have come together to create a company that would build and manage infrastructures required for the air taxis.
Vertiports will deploy the air taxis
Travelers who opt for air taxis would beat the road traffic and avoid traffic snarls to commute between cities. There would be vertiports that will deploy the battery-powered air taxis. They have the advantage of vertical take-off and landing facilities. Hence, they avoid the need for specialized runways or platforms. The technological advances of modern times have seen robots of different countries busy exploring other planets. An American helicopter is on the red planet Mars to obtain aerial views and add to the knowledge bank of scientists.
In this context, the proposal of air taxis deserves credit. Some companies would join forces to create a new entity called the Urban Blue. It might include other partners to ensure the gradual expansion of the project in countries like Italy, France, and elsewhere.
Operations for air taxis planned by 2024
Urban Blue would tie-up with Volocopter, a German air taxi startup.
The vertiport operations would take off in the cities of Rome, Venice, and Nice by 2024. However, there is no disclosure on the details of the financial implications of the project. Reuters reveals that Urban Blue wants to ensure that Rome becomes one of the first cities in Europe to introduce air taxis to the world. Volocopter plans to display one of its battery-powered passenger aircraft at the Fiumicino airport in Rome.
This city is the capital of Italy. A study by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency identified Rome as the third most suitable city for developing urban air mobility UAM in Europe. The broad picture that emerges is that air taxis could become the new mode of travel in cities.
Rome can expect to get these for travel in the city
Air taxis could become a popular mode of moving around Rome by 2024. It is a project between the company operating its main airport and a German startup. The airport is Fiumicino, the German startup is Volocopter, and the taxi would be a rotor-bladed, battery-powered two-seater. The level of emission will be zero because the propulsion would not be by fossil fuels. That will be a major gain when controlling carbon emission is a challenge facing the whole world.
Those who avail of this mode of commuting can save on time because they would not encounter traffic holdups. As a result, a journey that normally takes 45 minutes by car can reduce to 15 minutes. The initial cost of a ride will be around $175, and that might drop once the concept gains acceptance.
