The skies will be busy at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
The skies will be busy at the 2024 Paris Olympics!
Pioneer in advanced air mobility solutions AutoFlight and airport operations leader Groupe ADP will be flying experimental electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) during the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.
As the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will serve as a global stage for innovation and progress, AutoFlight intends to showcase the capabilities of its world record-holding 250km range lift and cruise eVTOLs. Groupe ADP, meanwhile, is reinforcing its commitment to fostering innovative air mobility.
AutoFlight will conduct experimental piloted flights from Pontoise Vertiport, Europe’s most advanced airfield for sustainable air mobility. Pontoise Vertiport offers comprehensive infrastructure encompassing dedicated take-off and landing areas, a state-of-the-art passenger terminal, a fully equipped maintenance hangar, and advanced control areas.
Groupe ADP is spearheading the development of eVTOL infrastructure in the Paris region, with five additional vertiports in the making: Paris heliport in Issy-les-Moulineaux, Paris Austerlitz, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Le Bourget, and Saint-Cyr l’Ecole. This makes Pontoise the optimal setting to experiment with AutoFlight’s cutting-edge eVTOL technology.
AutoFlight’s Prosperity I fixed-wing aircraft is said to represent a remarkable leap forward in terms of efficiency. It leads the pack with a world record 250km range and its energy consumption is comparable to an electric car’s. AutoFlight is one of only a few eVTOL manufacturers to have mastered the challenging transition phase from vertical to horizontal flight, having successfully done so hundreds of times. The advanced engineering of the aircraft allows for significant reductions in trip length while maximising asset utilisation in urban environments, ushering in a new era of sustainable logistics and passenger transportation.
Mark Henning, managing director of AutoFlight Europe, explains that the aim of flights during the Olympics will be to showcase the potential of advanced air mobility. “Our 250km range eVTOLs will operate in real-world conditions, highlighting their capabilities in urban environments and their invaluable contribution to sustainable logistics and mobility,” he says. “The 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a global celebration and we take pride in AutoFlight’s technology being part of it. We are grateful to Groupe ADP for their collaboration.”
Groupe ADP has also expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration. “We are delighted to be working with AutoFlight to enable experimental flights of their eVTOLs during the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games,” affirms deputy CEO Edward Arkwright. “Pontoise Vertiport, equipped with exceptional infrastructure and facilities, serves as an optimal platform to support electric, innovative aircraft. This collaboration resonates with our commitment to delivering sustainable and efficient aircraft infrastructure as we continue to pave the way for the future of aviation.”
The collaboration also ties in nicely with the efforts of the Paris region to position itself at the forefront of urban mobility.
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