Grab, Volocopter to explore feasibility of 'air taxis' in Southeast Asian cities
SINGAPORE — German aircraft manufacturer Volocopter and local ride-hailing firm Grab will jointly conduct a study to explore the prospect of deploying “air taxis” in Southeast Asian cities.
As part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the feasibility study will look into the most suitable cities and routes to deploy air taxis in the region, evaluate the best use cases for such vehicles and explore the possibility of joint flight tests.
The findings will lay the groundwork for potential future cooperation between both companies which could include launching air taxi services.
In a press statement on Tuesday (18 February) Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter said, “This cooperation is another important step towards the commercialisation of Urban Air Mobility in one of the most traffic congested regions of the world.”
Grab Ventures head Chris Yeo said, “This partnership will enable Volocopter to further develop urban air mobility solutions that are relevant for Southeast Asian commuters so they can decide on their preferred journey option based on their budgets, time constraints and other needs, in a seamless way.”
Managing director Duncan Walker of Skyports, the developer of landing and takeoff facilities for Volocopter’s air taxis said in October last year that it is targeting to launch the air taxi services in Singapore as early as 2021.
“The end game is that this becomes a price point equivalent to a taxi or a limousine,” Walker had said.
Related story:
Air taxi service targeted for launch in Singapore as early as 2021
