The Advanced Air Mobility Institute is thrilled to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Economic Expansion Committee of Val d’Oise (CEEVO) to
collaborate on advancing the sustainable urban air mobility sector in France. This partnership aims to leverage the expertise and resources of both organizations to drive innovation, public acceptance, and regulatory advancements in the field.
Jean-François Benon, managing director of CEEVO, expressed, “This agreement will be one of the vectors for facilitating knowledge exchange between CEEVO-The Val d’Oise Economic Development Agency, Paris region and Advanced Air Mobility Institute, by exploring use cases and sharing technological expertise to foster the air mobility decarbonization on local and global scale, and better anticipate tomorrow’s challenges.”
Institute founder and president, Dan Sloat, highlighted the historical significance of France in aviation stating, “French aviation pioneers contributed substantially to the progress of powered flight in the early 1900s so it’s only natural that France has taken a strong leadership role in this new era of electrification. CEEVO is a welcome partner in the greater Paris region as economic development is essential to our mission of broad public benefit and public acceptance of AAM.” Together CEEVO and the AAM Institute will focus on developing policy frameworks at the Pontoise-Cormeilles-en-Vexin airport, the epicenter of this innovative project.
CEEVO is committed to promoting economic development and innovation within the Val d’Oise region. By supporting sustainable urban air mobility initiatives, CEEVO aims to position the region as a leader in advanced transportation solutions. The Île-de-France Region, Choose Paris Region, RATP Group, and Groupe ADP launched an unprecedented initiative in Europe on October 1, 2020, to promote the French sustainable Urban Air Mobility (UAM) sector. This initiative attracted 150 applications from 25 countries, focusing on vehicle development, urban infrastructure, operations, airspace integration, and public acceptability.
Key highlights of CEEVO’s mission include collaborations with industry leaders like Airbus, Ehang, and Safran Electronics & Defense to develop innovative VTOL aircraft. Skyports and Green Motion have also partnered to create vertiports and charging systems. By working with Air France and CAE, they ensure seamless integration and maintenance of UAM systems. Additionally, CEEVO collaborates with ENAC and Thales SIX on the advancement of air traffic management systems, partnering with UC Berkeley and Ecole Polytechnique to research solutions for social and environmental challenges. The first public flight demonstration of an eVTOL aircraft in France by Volocopter in June 2021 marked a significant milestone in this journey. Volocopter’s
VoloCity, with its quiet and efficient design, showcased the potential for UAM in urban environments.
The Advanced Air Mobility Institute, Inc is a §501c3 international nonprofit research center dedicated to educating and advocating for the broadest public benefit through the aviation ecosystem globally. Ultimately, the AAM Institute is committed to protecting people, their rights, and the systems we rely on. We seek to accelerate access to these new technologies in an ethical and responsible way.
This press release was prepared and distributed by the Advanced Air Mobility Institute.
