Fraport AG and Volocopter GmbH are working together to develop new concepts for ground infrastructure and operations, which are required for electric air taxi services at airports.
In the future, Volocopter Ports could link existing urban transportation junctions, providing connections to and from Frankfurt Airport (FRA). This cooperation focuses on achieving smoother passenger handling and efficient integration into the existing transport infrastructure. This will be examined using a Volocopter Port.
Anke Giesen, executive board member for operations at Fraport AG, said: “Autonomous flying will fundamentally change aviation in the years to come. We want to be the first airport in Europe to harness the potential of electric air taxis in partnership with pioneer Volocopter—for the benefit of our passengers and the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region.”
Fraport is a globally active airport manager with many years of expertise in airport operations. The company particularly works in ground infrastructure, ground handling, and terminal and passenger services. Fraport has already tested various scenarios for using drones for operational purposes via its FraDrones program.
The Volocopter’s drone based technology has electrically-powered vertical take-off multi-copters to meet requirements of Urban Aerial Mobility in various test flights. Volocopter offers space for two people and is a suitable urban transport solution with its quiet, zero-emissions flying.
Florian Reuter, chief executive officer of Volocopter GmbH, said: “Providing the ideal connection between the city centre and the airport poses a huge challenge for the world’s major cities. We will be tapping into Fraport’s wealth of experience to integrate the Volocopter service safely and efficiently into the complex array of processes required at a major international airport.”
Germany’s Frankfurt Airport managed more than 69.5 million passengers last year (2018).
Feature image by Fraport AG – electric air taxi
