Travel destinations are fun but some cities have airports that are known for something unique. If all goes well, passengers travelling to Rome by air will soon be able to take flying taxis to go to their desired location inside the city. The company operating Rome's main airport and a German startup have undertaken this project.

Startup Volocopter hopes to make Fiumicino Airport a pioneer site for the rotor-bladed, battery-powered two-seater air taxi it is developing.

Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) CEO Marco Troncone said the journey in one of the craft, which takes off and lands vertically, will take around 15 minutes, compared with 45 minutes or more by car.

The initial cost of a ride will be around 150 euros ($175), a price likely to drop as the service goes mainstream, he said.

"The connection will be very swift," he told Reuters at Fiumicino, where Volocopter was showcasing a prototype. "It will be a silent journey and ... the level of emissions will be zero."

Volocopter, founded in 2011, hopes to get a commercial air licence from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) within three years and then start operations, its Chief Commercial Officer Christian Bauer said.

Rome is seen as the third most suitable European city behind Paris - where Volocopter said in June it hoped to have a service in operation in time for the Olympic Games - and Berlin for the development of air taxis, an EASA study showed.

(With inputs from agencies)

Travel destinations are fun but some cities have airports that are known for something unique. If all goes well, passengers travelling to Rome by air will soon be able to take flying taxis to go to their desired location inside the city.

Travel destinations are fun but some cities have airports that are known for something unique. If all goes well, passengers travelling to Rome by air will soon be able to take flying taxis to go to their desired location inside the city. The company operating Rome's main airport and a German startup have undertaken this project. Startup Volocopter hopes to make Fiumicino Airport a pioneer site for the rotor-bladed, battery-powered two-seater air taxi it is developing. Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) CEO Marco Troncone said the journey in one of the craft, which takes off and lands vertically, will take around 15 minutes, compared with 45 minutes or more by car. The initial cost of a ride will be around 150 euros ($175), a price likely to drop as the service goes mainstream, he said. "The connection will be very swift," he told Reuters at Fiumicino, where Volocopter was showcasing a prototype. "It will be a silent journey and ... the level of emissions will be zero." Volocopter, founded in 2011, hopes to get a commercial air licence from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) within three years and then start operations, its Chief Commercial Officer Christian Bauer said. Rome is seen as the third most suitable European city behind Paris - where Volocopter said in June it hoped to have a service in operation in time for the Olympic Games - and Berlin for the development of air taxis, an EASA study showed. (With inputs from agencies)

Rome airport to have flying taxis by 2024

Helmets are a common sight in Rome, worn by the thousands of vespa riders whizzing around the ancient city. But now you’ll see them inside the main international airport too. Fiumicino is now the first in Europe to use ‘smart helmets’ to check the temperature of travellers.

Robocop-style helmets help Rome airport check passenger temperatures from a distance

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Rome airport to have flying taxis by 2024

Robocop-style helmets help Rome airport check passenger temperatures from a distance