Volocopter gets European manufacturer’s license
The eVTOL start-up Volocopter has received the manufacturer’s licence from the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA. This was made possible by the partial takeover of Volocopter’s long-standing production partner DG Flugzeugbau, which already had this certification.
With the production organisation approval (POA), Volocopter hopes to gain an important competitive advantage in the race with other providers to offer the first commercial air taxi services. Volocopter’s goal is to start commercial flight operations by the time of the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.
Volocopter now has the manufacturer’s licence, which is an important step. However, the type certificate for the “VoloCity” aircraft and the approval as an air traffic operator are still missing.
Volocopter CEO Florian Reuter sees the acquisition as “another important stepping stone for our joint global efforts”. “Our ten-year partnership with DG Flugzeugbau has been an exceptional learning experience,” Reuter said.
DG Flugzeugbau has built gliders and powered gliders in addition to prototypes for Volocopter (including the VC200). Volocopter is also taking over 40 employees from DG Flugzeugbau’s aircraft production division. The remaining parts of the company (development and maintenance of the gliders and motor gliders) will be transferred to the newly founded company DG Aviation.
Volocopter has raised over 300 million euros from investors to date, with the latest round of financing closed in March 2021. The company has not disclosed the purchase price of DG Flugzeugbau. In January, Volocopter announced that it had initiated the approval process for the electric aerial taxi in the USA.
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