Volocopter, Bristol sign VoloCity deal for US and UK air taxi launch

German air taxi developer Volocopter has inked a deal with international aviation services company Bristow Group, covering 80 of the startup’s VoloCity aircraft for services planned in both the US and UK.

The accord calls for Houston, Texas-based Bristow to buy two Volocopter VoloCity air taxis outright, with an option to acquire 78 more. The battery-powered planes will be used for both passenger and cargo transport activity slated for launch in the US and UK in 2025. 

The agreement essentially casts Bristow as the operator of Volocopter next-generation aircraft services in those countries – activity the German firm intends to handle on its own in its de facto domestic European Union market. Volocopter is on target to initiate its first, largely demonstration air taxi flights during the Summer Olympics in Paris next year. 

Read: A $119 price among new Paris Olympics air taxi details revealed

To do so, the company anticipates 2024…