Volocopter VoloCity (UAE History)

About

The Volocopter VoloCity is the production-target two-seat all-electric multirotor eVTOL aircraft developed by Volocopter GmbH of Bruchsal, Germany. It is the successor to Volocopter's earlier 2X demonstrator. In the UAE, the Volocopter 2X was the aircraft used for the world's first public demonstration of an autonomous urban air taxi, in Dubai on 25 September 2017, in partnership with the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The flight covered approximately 500 metres at up to 60 metres altitude and lasted around 8 minutes, witnessed by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Crown Prince of Dubai) and conducted under approvals from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA).

Volocopter's UAE programme did not progress to commercial service. In February 2024, Dubai's RTA signed a six-year exclusive air taxi agreement with Joby Aviation. Volocopter GmbH filed for insolvency at the Karlsruhe Local Court on 26 December 2024; provisional insolvency administration was opened on 27 December 2024 with Tobias Wahl appointed administrator. Formal insolvency proceedings opened on 1 March 2025 and Volocopter's approximately 450 staff were placed on gardening leave. As of session date the VoloCity is not in commercial service in the UAE or anywhere else, and the UAE programme is recorded as decommissioned.

Key facts

Timeline

1. 2017-02
   Dubai RTA Director-General Mattar Al Tayer announces autonomous air taxi plans at the World Government Summit; an RTA partnership with Volocopter follows. [volocopter-newsroom-2017-09-25]
2. 2017-09-25
   World's first public demonstration of an autonomous urban air taxi: Volocopter 2X flies a 500-metre, ~8-minute autonomous flight at up to 60 m altitude near Jumeirah Beach Park, Dubai, witnessed by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. [volocopter-newsroom-2017-09-25]
3. 2017-09-25
   RTA confirms a five-year programme with the GCAA and DCAA to develop laws, certification policy, aerial routes and operator standards for autonomous air taxi services in Dubai. JDA Aviation appointed by RTA as safety adviser. [rta-gdmo-2017-09-25]
4. 2024-02
   Dubai RTA signs 6-year exclusive air taxi agreement with Joby Aviation at the World Governments Summit. Volocopter is no longer the RTA's air taxi partner for Dubai. [agbi-2024-12-31]
5. 2024-12-26
   Volocopter GmbH files for insolvency at the Karlsruhe Local Court. [flightglobal-2024-12-31]
6. 2024-12-27
   Karlsruhe Local Court opens provisional insolvency administration; Tobias Wahl (Anchor Rechtsanwältegesellschaft mbH) appointed administrator. [flightglobal-2024-12-31]
7. 2025-03-01
   Formal insolvency proceedings begin; Volocopter's ~450 employees placed on paid gardening leave under German legal protections. [aerotime-2025-03-05]

Practical info

Regulatory status

The September 2017 Volocopter Autonomous Air Taxi demonstration in Dubai was conducted under the partnership of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), with approvals from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the UAE and the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA). The RTA appointed JDA Aviation as safety adviser and announced a five-year programme to develop laws, aircraft certification policy, aerial routes, take-off and landing points, and operator standards for autonomous air taxi service in Dubai. No UAE Type Certificate, Air Operator Certificate or commercial passenger service for the Volocopter 2X or VoloCity was published before Volocopter's insolvency. Dubai's air taxi exclusivity now lies with Joby Aviation under the 6-year agreement signed in February 2024.

Current progress

Volocopter GmbH filed for insolvency on 26 December 2024 after failing to secure further funding, despite earlier optimism around a 2025 commercial launch following European Union Aviation Safety Agency certification. Provisional insolvency administration began the following day, and formal insolvency proceedings opened on 1 March 2025 with the company's roughly 450 employees placed on gardening leave. There is no published plan for the VoloCity to enter commercial UAE service. The Dubai air taxi programme has moved on under the RTA's exclusive agreement with Joby Aviation, with commercial launch targeted in 2026 using the Joby S4. The Volocopter UAE programme is recorded here for historical accuracy.

Connected entities

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. [volocopter-newsroom-2017-09-25] Volocopter Newsroom — 'First Ever Public Demonstration of an Autonomous Urban Air Taxi' (25 Sep 2017) operator-ir · accessed 2026-05-01
2. [rta-gdmo-2017-09-25] Government of Dubai Media Office / RTA — 'HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed witnesses first Autonomous Air Taxi test flight in Dubai' (25 Sep 2017) official-news · accessed 2026-05-01
3. [flightglobal-2024-12-31] Flight Global — 'Volocopter enters insolvency following cash shortfall' (31 Dec 2024) primary · accessed 2026-05-01
4. [agbi-2024-12-31] AGBI — 'Neom's air taxi partner Volocopter files for insolvency' (31 Dec 2024) primary · accessed 2026-05-01
5. [aerotime-2025-03-05] AeroTime — 'Volocopter lays off staff as insolvency proceedings go ahead' (5 Mar 2025) primary · accessed 2026-05-01

Verification flags

• GDMO English-language URL not retrieved directly within session — used Highways Today carrying the 25 Sep 2017 RTA / GDMO statement verbatim. Recommended editor follow-up: pull the canonical GDMO mediaoffice.ae 2017 archive URL.
• Aircraft used in 2017 Dubai demonstration is the Volocopter 2X (18-rotor demonstrator); the VoloCity is the production-target successor design — the entity covers Volocopter's UAE programme as a whole.
• No formal RTA statement publicly terminating the Volocopter partnership has been retrieved; the partnership is treated as superseded by the Feb 2024 Joby exclusive agreement.
• Volocopter's UAE programme post-2017 (any subsequent UAE flights, demonstrations or RTA milestones) not retrieved within session; if any exist they should be added in a follow-up audit.
• Wikimedia Commons direct URL for Volocopter 2X / VoloCity not verified within session — hero_image set to null.