Voom on-demand helicopter platform joins Airbus
Voom, the on-demand helicopter booking platform, is joining Airbus Helicopters.
Voom was initially incubated at A3, Airbus’ Silicon Valley outpost, and launched commercial operations in April 2017 in Sao Paulo.…
Voom, the on-demand helicopter booking platform, is joining Airbus Helicopters.
Voom was initially incubated at A3, Airbus’ Silicon Valley outpost, and launched commercial operations in April 2017 in Sao Paulo. It has flown thousands of passengers over the last ten months, and plans to expand its presence this year.
The Voom platform connects travellers with licensed helicopter operator partners. Voom air taxi flights can be booked online in as little as 60 minutes in advance.
New models
“Urban transportation on and below ground is reaching its limits, and naturally Airbus is looking to the skies to redefine a third axis for public transportation solutions.”
By Matthieu Louvot, Airbus Helicopters Executive Vice-President, Customer Support and Services
He added: “Voom will allow us to grow the usage of existing helicopters for the benefit of urban citizens and operators. With Voom we will also explore and develop new business models in order to support our innovation roadmap.”
Voom CEO, Uma Subramanian, commented: “We are thrilled to join Airbus Helicopters to build the urban air mobility experience around the world. Our services provide convenient, reliable and affordable air transit to urban areas that so desperately need an alternative to traditional ground transportation. Following our launch in Brazil, we are expanding into additional cities, beginning with Mexico City early this year.”
Future transport
Airbus says it is “determined to shape the future of urban air mobility to help people travel smarter, work more efficiently, and live better”.
Airbus is exploring a range of solutions, including:
- On-demand helicopter rides for events
- The four passenger, self-piloted CityAirbus eVTOL demonstrator
- The single passenger, self-piloted Vahana eVTOL aircraft by A3
- The Altiscope project by A3, aiming to shape future regulations and air traffic control requirements to safely integrate eVTOL aircraft in urban skies
- Autonomous urban parcel delivery by drones through the Skyways project
- The Racer high-speed demonstrator, which aims to connect distant cities
