Paris Prepares to Launch Flying Taxis during 2024 Olympics
2023-06-28
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1French officials are preparing to offer flying taxi services to people attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024.
2If the taxis are actually deployed in the French capital, it could mark the first major real world demonstration of the flying technology.
3Some air taxi developers attended the recent Paris Air Show to show off their products and seek industry support.
4One of the companies in attendance was Germany's Volocopter, which plans to offer a flying taxi service during the Olympics.
5But so far, no air taxi maker has received government approval to launch service in France.
6Volocopter hopes to be the first.
7But the company still needs to run its aircraft through intensive weather tests and provide thousands of pages of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
8Company chief Dirk Hoke admitted to the Reuters news agency that securing the approval will not be easy.
9"It's not a walk in the park to be the first..." he said.
10Volocopter plans to carry out tests of its electric air taxis in different environments in Germany next month.
11Hoke said that in addition to worries about government approvals, the environment for air taxi companies has also faced difficulties linked to economic slowdowns affecting the world.
12Robin Riedel co-leads the Center for Future Mobility at the business advisory company McKinsey.
13She told Reuters that companies formed to support air taxi projects have lost about 30 percent of their value in recent years.
14In addition, many investors have decided to put money into drones instead of flying taxis.
15Industry experts say they fear these struggles could signal more financial problems for many other companies involved in air taxi development.
16Hoke - a former top executive at air industry player Airbus - has thought about a person he would like to be the first rider of his flying taxis - French President Emmanuel Macron.
17"That would be super amazing," Hoke told The Associated Press at the Paris Air Show.
18He added: "(Macron) believes in the innovation of urban air mobility. That would be a strong sign to Europe to see the president flying."
19One of the five planned Olympic trips would land in the heart of the city on a floating pad on the River Seine.
20In the beginning, air taxi trips are likely to be short and costly.
21This is because limited battery technology restricts the distance and number of paying passengers the aircraft can carry.
22The long-term success of air taxis will also be dependent on effective systems to manage all the air traffic using the skies.
23Experts say such systems will need new technology to provide safety for all flyers.
24As the industry progresses, the number of air taxis and drones is expected to reach into the millions.
25Hoke said that one thing is sure, "It will be a total new experience for the people."
26He added, "Twenty years later (when) someone looks back at what changed based on that, and then they call it a revolution. And I think we are at the edge of the next revolution."
27I'm Bryan Lynn.
1French officials are preparing to offer flying taxi services to people attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. If the taxis are actually deployed in the French capital, it could mark the first major real world demonstration of the flying technology. 2Some air taxi developers attended the recent Paris Air Show to show off their products and seek industry support. One of the companies in attendance was Germany's Volocopter, which plans to offer a flying taxi service during the Olympics. 3But so far, no air taxi maker has received government approval to launch service in France. Volocopter hopes to be the first. But the company still needs to run its aircraft through intensive weather tests and provide thousands of pages of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. 4Company chief Dirk Hoke admitted to the Reuters news agency that securing the approval will not be easy. "It's not a walk in the park to be the first..." he said. 5Volocopter plans to carry out tests of its electric air taxis in different environments in Germany next month. 6Hoke said that in addition to worries about government approvals, the environment for air taxi companies has also faced difficulties linked to economic slowdowns affecting the world. 7Robin Riedel co-leads the Center for Future Mobility at the business advisory company McKinsey. She told Reuters that companies formed to support air taxi projects have lost about 30 percent of their value in recent years. In addition, many investors have decided to put money into drones instead of flying taxis. 8Industry experts say they fear these struggles could signal more financial problems for many other companies involved in air taxi development. 9Hoke - a former top executive at air industry player Airbus - has thought about a person he would like to be the first rider of his flying taxis - French President Emmanuel Macron. 10"That would be super amazing," Hoke told The Associated Press at the Paris Air Show. He added: "(Macron) believes in the innovation of urban air mobility. That would be a strong sign to Europe to see the president flying." 11One of the five planned Olympic trips would land in the heart of the city on a floating pad on the River Seine. 12In the beginning, air taxi trips are likely to be short and costly. This is because limited battery technology restricts the distance and number of paying passengers the aircraft can carry. 13The long-term success of air taxis will also be dependent on effective systems to manage all the air traffic using the skies. Experts say such systems will need new technology to provide safety for all flyers. As the industry progresses, the number of air taxis and drones is expected to reach into the millions. 14Hoke said that one thing is sure, "It will be a total new experience for the people." He added, "Twenty years later (when) someone looks back at what changed based on that, and then they call it a revolution. And I think we are at the edge of the next revolution." 15I'm Bryan Lynn. 16The Associated Press and Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English. 17__________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19a walk in the park - idiom. something that is very easy to do 20drone - n. a pilotless aircraft 21mobility - n. the ability to move freely or be easily moved 22innovation- n. the act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods 23battery - n. a device placed inside a machine to supply it with electricity 24manage - v. to succeed in doing or dealing with something 25______________________________________________________________________ 26What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 27Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.