With just one year remaining until Volocopter’s launch of commercial flights during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Vertical interviewed Christian Bauer, the company’s chief financial and commercial officer, during the 2023 Paris Air Show for an update on the company’s progress toward this target.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Alex Scerri: Christian, one year is not a long time in aviation terms. I imagine you must have a whiteboard in your office with all the tasks in a to-do list. How is that coming along?
Christian Bauer: It is certainly a long list with multiple streams joining all together. There is the aircraft testing, which is well on its way, regulation and interaction with the authorities, which is taking shape, and of course we are now in the process of setting up the operational part, including selecting and training flight crew. As you know, we will be operating the aircraft ourselves and have set up a company for this purpose. I would say that we are well on track to achieve the target as these streams come together.
Alex Scerri: You have been very active with flight operations and training personnel recruits in the past months. How is that going and what is the profile of the pilot applicants that you are seeing?
Christian Bauer: Finding pilots was never going to be an issue. Since the program’s inception, we have been approached by a huge number of pilots who want to fly our aircraft. Although we have minimum requirements, in line with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency [EASA] rule proposal, we are intent on having highly experienced flight crew, especially for the launch of the operation. As we gain operational experience, we will continually reassess these requirements and the profile of the pilot candidates to make sure that our aircraft are operated safely.
Alex Scerri: Where will you be applying for the air operator certificate (AOC)?
Christian Bauer: It will be a German AOC and complying with EASA requirements. This will be happening later this year.
Alex Scerri: Can you disclose the aircraft type that you will be using for the AOC application?
Christian Bauer: Not yet, but we will do so soon. It will be a fixed-wing aircraft. In fact, this is done so that all the framework of the AOC — procedures, manuals, etc. — will be in place. Once the VoloCity is type certified, it will be easier to introduce it into the operation, rather than having to do the application process and associated work at that stage.
Alex Scerri: The route structure you revealed at the Paris Air Show has been updated since an earlier version you had released.
Christian Bauer: The previous list was provisional, and we are always working in close cooperation with all the local authorities on this subject, including the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), the Parisian Autonomous Transport Administration (RATP) and the airport operator, Groupe ADP.
The routes we have just announced will allow us to test and prove different areas and types of operation. The route between Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Le Bourget airports will show our capability to operate in a busy airspace together with high density mainstream air traffic.
We will also operate between Paris Heliport at Issy-les-Moulineaux and Saint-Cyr-l’École aerodrome near Versailles. This is already a popular sightseeing route and is ideal to demonstrate VoloCity’s potential for this mission.
The operation from the barge on the Seine River, adjacent to the Paris Austerlitz train station, will get us close to the city center and will also show how the VoloCity is suited for urban operation in the heart of a busy, modern city. All the flights will be on existing helicopter routes, which eases the approval process somewhat. Additionally, we are also looking at several other locations around Paris. We will be taking a gradual approach to maximize the connectivity potential possible with an urban mobility aircraft.
Alex Scerri: How would you describe the interaction with the local authorities?
Christian Bauer: We have excellent support from all the involved parties that we mentioned before, and we are also encouraged by the support from [French] President [Emmanuel] Macron and the administration. There is, of course, the strong motivator to be the first city with a commercial urban air mobility service, and I think that this is encouraging all stakeholders to work together effectively. However, the overriding requirement is that the service is safe, not only for the users but for all the third parties as well.
Alex Scerri: Will the service stop after the Summer Olympic Games wrap up?
Christian Bauer: No, this will only be the start. The route network will be expanded continuously as we are confident that the demand will ramp up once the Parisians see and appreciate the potential of advanced air mobility [AAM].
We will be flying our Volocopter 2X throughout the Paris Air Show this year, and we hope that as many show visitors as possible can get to experience what it is like to be around this new mode of transportation.
Alex Scerri: Christian, thank you for your time in what must be a very busy few days at the Paris Air Show. Do you have anything else to share with the AAM community?
Christian Bauer: We are under no illusion that this is going to be an easy task. However, as the team has shown in the past years, we have moved from just an idea to an aircraft that will be starting commercial operations in just a year. We are cautiously confident that we will be welcoming our commercial customers in Paris next summer. Of course, this would not be possible without the support of all the stakeholders, and I must say this has just been exceptional.
