A Complete Guide to Certification (VoloCity Air Taxi Edition)The VoloCity air taxi product certification process, explained.

December 7, 2022|

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If you’ve ever wondered how our teams are certifying our first-to-launch Volocopter aircraft, the VoloCity air taxi, then this is the article for you. Not only will we explain what we’re doing to prep our first eVTOL aircraft to take to the commercial skies, we’ll also put the spotlight on what our teams are doing, who we’re working with, and what stage in the process we’re currently at. 

Our teams 

Our product certification process for the VoloCity is explained in full in the PDF below this article. This is what will allow Volocopter to enter the market with a commercially viable UAM aircraft. It’s therefore imperative that multiple internal and external stakeholders come together to get Volocopter's ambitions off the ground. Those going through the motions of getting our first commercial launch vehicle, the VoloCity air taxi, into operation in time for our defined 2024 deadline are no exception.  

That's because we’ve formed teams of people who are experts in their fields to bring our ambitions to life. From devoted designers and ambitious aircraft builders, pilots and operators to airworthiness aficionados, maintenance mavericks, and external infrastructure specialists, we firmly believe we have all the trappings of a future-forward company that is in an excellent position to succeed.

Our partners 

When it comes to certifying our first commercial launch vehicle, close collaboration is most definitely the way forward. To that end, we began liaising with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and with the civil aviation authorities of the countries in which we plan to launch our urban air mobility services. In fact, Volocopter is in a very unique position that allows us to obtain the product and operating approvals simultaneously – more details are available in the PDF flow diagram (below). 

So, once we’ve finalized the product certification process for our VoloCity air taxi, it will be added to the EASA certified aircraft list and cleared for commercial takeoff. And our aim? That would be to have our name added to said EASA aircraft list as quickly as possible. And with the clear goal of being the first ones in the UAM industry to achieve the significant milestone of bringing UAM to life. 

Our progress 

At the time of writing, we’ve already obtained Design Organisation and Production Organisation approvals (DOA and POA, respectively) and are working toward achieving Type Certification (TC) for our VoloCity air taxi. Alongside this, we are running a concurrent process with a view to obtaining an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and an Operating License (OL) for the first countries in which we intend to operate commercially.  

Our close working relationship with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) coupled with our drive to succeed in our mission to bring urban air mobility to life within our defined timeline. 

With commercial launch approaching within the next two years, we certainly have our work cut out. However, we are confident that the backing of our incredible team of experts and our trustful relationship with major bodies like EASA will aid us in getting off to a flying start come 2024.