The flying taxis that will serve the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

The eVTOLs enjoy for the first time a dedicated space at the air show, where ultra-sophisticated devices are exhibited, in a context of significant investments.

According to a recent study by the consultancy Deloitte, this type of aircraft attracted 6,000 million euros (6,550 million dollars) of investments worldwide in 2021.

“Four years ago, it was still a very exploratory sector. The market has consolidated a bit and today we have true prototypes. It’s coming true,” says Deloitte’s Jean-Louis Rassineux.

Enthusiasm exists and orders follow. On Monday, the eVTOL Atea from French startup Ascendance Flight Technologies announced 110 new orders, bringing the total to 505.

For his part, United Airlines ordered 100 aircraft from the US company Archer for more than a billion dollars. Its Midnight model can carry four passengers, in addition to the pilot.

“We can replace a 90-minute drive by car with a five-minute drive,” Archer founder and boss Adam Goldstein told AFP.

By using electric power, the maintenance cost is lower than helicopters, according to Goldstein, who rejects the usual criticism that these planes will be for the richest.

“You can share the cost among a much broader user base, getting the planes flying a lot more,” he says.

Attracted by this potential new market, established manufacturers don’t want to miss the boat.

The American Boeing thus invested massively in the company Wisk Aero, which has developed an eVTOL without a pilot, also presented in Le Bourget.

“We are absolutely determined to have the first certified autonomous aircraft,” stresses Brian Yutko, the leader of Wisk, who does not give precise dates but has the Los Angeles-2028 Olympic Games in mind.