“My responsibility is to ensure that the only flying vehicles are safe. So if you see something flying, it’s safe since we’d certified it, especially for the Summer Olympic Games in 2024 “Ky said to Euronews.

“We will certify the machine, which will provide taxi services between Charles de Gaulle [airport] and Paris’s centre. And if it’s certified, it’s probably safe. So when we say we certified, we actually mean that we checked it to make sure it’s at the same level as a commercial aeroplane. So, certainly, it will fly in 2024 because it is safe. It will not fly otherwise.” 

The EASA chief also states that any noise pollution issues would be addressed. “We’re now working on determining what degree of noise is appropriate for residents in comparison to, say, a bus or a truck or anything similar. And based on this level of permissible noise, we will make conclusions about the number of drones that may fly, so that people or neighbours are not subjected to excessive noise “Ky said.

The bulk of modern drones in development are totally electric, resulting in zero emissions. This green component complements the European Commission’s Drone Strategy 2.0, which intends to include air taxis into the EU’s “smart, green, and digital” cities effort.

The primary goal of this plan is to expand Europe’s drone market and large-scale commercial operations for usage in other applications. This includes medical product shipping, which, according to Andreas Boschen, Executive Director of the SESAR Joint Undertaking, saves lives. “SAFIR-Med, one of our projects, is already demonstrating the need of transporting medical equipment, blood samples, organs, or whatever from one hospital to a laboratory or another. It is safer, faster, and more environmentally friendly “Boschen spoke to Euronews.

“Drones are saving lives all throughout Europe, but also on a worldwide scale by delivering vaccinations and critical medical equipment to people in need in a safe and effective manner.” According to an AiRMOUR Europe-wide poll, approval of medical supplies by drones is well above 50%, but not quite there for taxi and personal services. Another EU-commissioned research indicates that the drone industry might generate up to 145,000 new employment throughout the continent by 2030, with a potential value of €14.5 billion.

The following query concerns affordability. The cost of using an air taxi in 2024 is expected to be prohibitively expensive for most people, but Brussels and manufacturers want to reverse this in the near future by ramping up production and demand for next-generation drone goods.