The project had an air of science fiction about it. But it may never become reality. Invited to debate the issue of flying cabs, imagined and carried by the Aéroport de Paris (ADP) group for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2024, Parisian elected representatives overwhelmingly declared themselves opposed to their principle. On the first day of the Paris City Council meeting, Tuesday November 14, they issued a negative opinion on the creation of a take-off and landing platform planned for the Seine, near the Gare d’Austerlitz. Among the arguments put forward against ADP’s project, elected representatives highlighted noise and visual pollution, energy consumption, and the risk to the safety of passengers and Parisians. Socialist councillor Florian Sitbon denounced an “absurd” project, supported by the State and the Île-de-France region: “To save a few minutes for a few wealthy people in a hurry, who are ignorant and contemptuous of the climate emergency, we would be polluting the atmosphere and destroying the sound environment“. For the record, the project to test flying cabs on three air routes, backed by Aéroport de Paris, the German manufacturer Volocopter and the Île-de-France region, envisages charging 140 euros for a 35-km journey.
