Voom, the urban helicopter service operated by Airbus, now has launched operations at a second site, Mexico City. Voom has been flying in Sao Paulo, Brazil, since last April. “We couldn’t be more excited to bring an urgently needed, alternative transportation option to Mexico City,” said Uma Subramanian, CEO of Voom. Mexico City was chosen because it’s one of the most congested cities in the world, with a population of 23.9 million, and significant helicopter infrastructure is already in place, the company said. The city has more than 200 helipads and a dedicated helicopter air traffic control system. “We are confident that Mexico City will be instrumental in defining the future of urban air mobility,” the company said, in a statement posted at the Voom website.
Voom said that in Mexico City, a trip by road from Montes Urales to the city’s international airport would take two hours during rush hour. The trip by helicopter takes eight minutes and would cost $134 in U.S. dollars. Reservations can be made up to seven days before a flight, or as little as 60 minutes before departure. More cities will be added later this year, Subramanian said. The Voom service was first developed by A^3, the technology incubator arm of Airbus in Silicon Valley. The effort has been seen as not only a way to better utilize helicopters in dense urban areas, but as a template for the development of on-demand, autonomous VTOL taxis that are being developed by A^3 and other companies.
