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Crewed Volocopter 2x flies in front of ADP and Skyports Vertiport at Pontoise-Cormeille testbed

Posted By: Jeroen Vogelaar November 11, 2022

  • Fully integrated European vertiport for UAM integration, testing, and development officially commissioned
  • Groupe ADP, Skyports, and Volocopter showcase end-to-end passenger journey through a vertiport, featuring crewed test flight

Paris, France, 10 November 2022 – Today, Groupe ADP, Skyports and Volocopter commissioned Europe’s first fully integrated vertiport terminal for the urban air mobility (UAM) industry at the Groupe ADP, RATP Group and Choose Paris Region-run Re.Invent Air Mobility testbed at Pontoise-Cormeilles airfield. The launch of the terminal represents the start of a new era for urban air mobility, as the facility allows advanced testing of critical technology and passenger processes.

Urban air mobility is a new form of sustainable aviation with a multitude of use cases that will provide regions and cities with an alternative form of transport for people and goods. Introducing a new form of mobility successfully requires industry-wide collaboration and the support of regulators and government bodies. The UAM ecosystem includes manufacturers of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), physical and digital infrastructure providers, regulators, technology supply chain, cities, governments, the public, and many others. The fully integrated testbed at Pontoise-Cormeilles enables a variety of stakeholders to test technologies and procedures in diverse configurations in a real-life environment. The opportunity to test on a live airfield is both invaluable and essential to the development of the entire industry.

The testbed at Pontoise-Cormeilles, designed by Skyports in collaboration with Groupe ADP, is aircraft agnostic and offers the entire ecosystem the chance to test and develop their technologies. Most importantly, it facilitates collaboration between the key ecosystem partners, including technology pioneers, regulators and local partners such as the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC), suppliers and airlines. It will enable the testing of:

  • Vehicle integration, ground movement procedures, and charging procedures
  • Flight scheduling, situational awareness, and information exchange
  • Passenger journey through the terminal, including security and check-in processes, biometric technologies (provided by SITA), passenger dwell time, and aircraft boarding.

The launch event provided an opportunity to demonstrate the end-to-end passenger journey, from arrival at the vertiport terminal to aircraft boarding. A model of the VoloCity, which is being developed as Volocopter’s first certified aircraft for commercial services, was featured at the launch in addition to a crewed test flight of the 2X model – the only aircraft currently authorised by DGAC for eVTOL test flights in France. The series of demonstrations by Skyports and Volocopter also featured displays of flight monitoring capabilities and digital operating systems, including Skyports’ vertiport operating systems and the VoloIQ.

The Re.Invent Air Mobility testbed at Pontoise-Cormeilles airfield is now the most extensive technology-enabled test site for UAM in Europe. The innovation consortium is formed by Groupe ADP, Choose Paris Region, and RATP Group, and made up of 30 ecosystem partners. It has propelled France to the forefront of UAM development. The consortium focuses on a wide range of topics to facilitate the development of the industry, including vehicle development, vertiport infrastructure, airspace integration and public acceptance.

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