It was a utopian project that would have given Paris an air of the"Fifth Element". Flying cabs, to cross the capital without worrying about traffic jams. In January 2021, RATP, Aéroports de Paris (ADP) and Choose Paris Region unveiled the names of the 31 players selected to " develop an urban air mobility sector based on vertical take-off vehicles ". These flying cabs should have been available to tourists and Île-de-France residents by the 2024 Olympic Games, according to the companies' promises.
These innovative flying machines were to be a bus, a helicopter and a drone in one. Clean " machines, i.e. " decarbonized " from fossil fuels, powered by electricity and possibly hydrogen. The instigators of this project worked hand in hand with the German company Volocopter, which created the Volocity, a miniature helicopter equipped with a touch screen where users enter their destination, and capable of speeds of up to 80 km/h, at 200 or 300 meters altitude.
This flying cab project has suffered several delays and setbacks. In July 2024, however, the Conseil d'Etat gave its provisional authorization for the installation of a "vertiport" at Paris Austerlitz. Finally, on Wednesday December 18, 2024, the public institution decided to cancel the ministerial order authorizing the creation of this take-off and landing base.
The Conseil d'Etat ruled in favor of the organizations opposed to the project, including the City of Paris and several air pollution control associations.
The future of this project now seems in jeopardy: back in November, the Île-de-France regional council decided to cancel its €1 million subsidy , which had been granted to Aéroports de Paris the previous year. At the time, the region was pointing the finger at delays and technical and regulatory shortcomings.
