German eVTOL specialist Volocopter and South Korean mobility platform developer Kakao Mobility have agreed to work together to conduct a feasibility study on introducing urban air mobility (UAM) services in South Korea.
The study will determine the operational capabilities needed to establish UAM services in the country and identify possible business models for operations. It will also come up with a list of potential commercial routes.
The findings of the study, which is expected to be completed by February next year, will lay the groundwork for possible future cooperation between the two companies on the launch of UAM services in South Korea.
Florian Reuter, CEO of Volocopter, commented: “Having a strong and reliable network of partners has always been a fundamental factor for our continued success. We believe that the synergy from the cooperation with a leading local partner helps us develop a service tailored for the domestic market.
“We are very excited about our partnership with Kakao Mobility, South Korea’s industry leader in platform technology. Through this partnership, we will leverage Kakao Mobility’s existing network of urban ground mobility and readapt their strengths for urban air mobility.”
Kakao Mobility has developed Kakao T, a mobility-as-a-service app that offers users a variety of transportation-related services. The company’s chief technology officer, Seungil You, noted: “As the largest mobility platform in South Korea, with 30 million registered users, Kakao Mobility has deep insights on traffic patterns and customer needs in the Korean mobility market. Starting from the cooperation with Volocopter in the Korean market, we are looking forward to expanding our partnership across the UAM industry worldwide, as well as our business as an airspace mobility platform in the future.”
Earlier this month, Volocopter conducted two public test flights of its 2X eVTOL in South Korea, the first at Gimpo International Airport and the second a few days later at Incheon Airport.
