First electric air taxi in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

In a boost to air transportation, NEOM, the smart and sustainable regional development in northwest Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Volocopter, the pioneer of urban air mobility (UAM), announced the completion of a series of air taxi test flights. This marks the first time an electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft has received a special flight authorization and performed test flights in the KSA. The test flights lasted over a week. Built in 18 months, it was the result of a collaboration between NEOM, General Authority of Civil Aviation, and Volocopter, with the aim of implementing and scaling an electric UAM ecosystem and testbed in NEOM. The parties worked together to ensure full regulatory compliance and safety ahead of the test campaign. Nadhmi Al-Nasr, CEO, NEOM, said, “The test flight of a Volocopter eVTOL 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 reduce carbon emissions thus creating a cleaner future for all.”