NEOM, Volocopter successfully complete Saudi Arabia’s first air taxi test flight

NEOM, Volocopter successfully complete Saudi Arabia’s first air taxi test flight

NEOM, and Volocopter announced the successful completion of a series of air taxi test flights. This marks the first time an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft has received a special flight authorisation and performed test flights in Saudi Arabia. The flight test campaign lasted over a week and was built on 18 months of collaboration between NEOM, the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), and Volocopter, as per a statement released by the air mobility company. 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. 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.” The successful test flight builds on NEOM’s