Voom joins Airbus Helicopters

Digital helicopter-booking platform Voom has joined Airbus Helicopters as an exclusive on-demand service.

Voom was first launched in April 2017 as part of the Airbus’s A^3 programme – its Silicon Valley project that invests in visionary aerospace entrepreneurs – providing helicopter commuter flights for passengers in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest and endemically bottle-necked city..

Voom will provide the manufacturer with an established platform to support its growth in the urban mobility market and is planning to expand outside of the region later this year.

“We are thrilled to join Airbus Helicopters to build the urban air mobility experience around the world,” said Uma Subramanian, CEO of Voom. “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.”

E-Vtol innovation

As well as pursuing on-demand urban transport services, Airbus is also developing an aircraft to fly on these short-range urban flights.

Airbus’s self-piloted Vahana eVTOL aircraft Vahana looks to be a cost-effective replacement for cars and trains in cities. The aircraft is fully automated to minimise human error and can carry up to four passengers. Vahana completed its first flight earlier this month

“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,” said Matthieu Louvot, Airbus Helicopters executive vice-president customer support and services. “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.”