Seeking FAA Approval To Enter The US Market Concurrently With An (Eventual) EASA Type Certificate

Volocopter says that the FAA has accepted their application for concurrent Type Certificate validation. This starts a process (likely to be a lengthy one) that will allow Volocopter to bring their electric air taxi services to the American market. Volocopter claims to be the first and only eVTOL company with Design Organization Approval (DOA), the license to develop and build certified aircraft, from the EASA.

The company is currently in the process of receiving EASA Type Certification for their VoloCity aircraft. Volocopter is seeking FAA approval to enter the U.S. market concurrently with its EASA type certificate.

The VoloCity, Volocopter’s electric air taxi, is designed to meet  aircraft safety standards. Volocopter developed the VoloCity specifically to meet growing demand for better intra-city mobility in large cities like Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. among others. These air taxi services would promote local job opportunities, save people time, and reduce costs associated with spending hours in traffic by simply flying over it. Furthermore, Volocopter’s business plan aims to provide scalable air taxi services at costs comparable to regular taxi services.

Volocopter is currently working with EASA on certification for commercial launch planned in the next 2-3 years. When Volocopter receives type certification approval from EASA, immediately followed by the FAA validation in this timeframe, they will be positioned to enter the electric air taxi market first and pave the way for the UAM industry to expand services globally.

By offering concurrent type certificate validation, the FAA gives aircraft manufacturers like Volocopter the opportunity to show that they are fulfilling the necessary requirements parallel to being certified by the primary authority of the company’s current jurisdiction, e.g., EASA. This format promotes open communication about certification and safety qualifications internationally for aircraft like the VoloCity.

FMI: www.volocopter.com