The air taxis from German aviation start-up Volocopter will have "unprecedented levels of safety", said its chief executive Florian Reuter, with the company aiming to begin Singapore test flights in the third quarter of the year.

He gave the assurance yesterday that should any of its critical components fail, the Volocopter machines would still be able to "complete their mission" and arrive at their destination, owing to a design that has multiple components that run independently.

"In order to be operating these vehicles in cities around the world, we need to be as safe as commercial airlines. That is the safety level that has been set for this vehicle," he said at the Rotorcraft Asia 2019 and Unmanned Systems Asia 2019 exhibition held at the Changi Exhibition Centre.

Singapore is currently looking at how air transport can be used to enhance the transport landscape here, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore's deputy director of transformation programmes Tan Chun Wei, who took part in a panel discussion with Mr Reuter.

Responding to a question about where the Volocopter machines will take off and land here, he said the trials will take place "over water".

"We are going to work with Volocopter on the safety aspects to ensure that even flying over water, it wouldn't pose a public or even aviation risk," he added. "The landing spot will be somewhere in the southern part of Singapore."

Last October, The Straits Times reported that Volocopter would be performing a series of urban flight tests of its air taxis in the Republic from June this year. Mr Reuter gave an update to this timeline, and said Volocopter will be conducting private flight tests here in the third quarter of this year, which will be followed by public flight trials.

He also said that while many recognise Volocopter's machines for their unmanned potential, these air taxis will initially take flight with a pilot, as it would be easier for the company to get government approval.

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"Yes, the Volocopter can also be operated autonomously in the long run. However, we believe we would make it much easier for certification agencies across the world if we start out with a certified pilot. So expect Volocopter services to have a certified fully licensed pilot initially," he said, before the firm "takes the pilot out".

Mr Reuter also showed several possible future routes that air taxis in Singapore could take. One is a 26km flight from Tuas to the Central Business District, while another is an 18km route from Changi to Sentosa. He also showed potential international routes such as a 26km route from central Singapore to Johor, and a 22km trip from Sentosa to Batam.

Although not many details were revealed about the cost of these rides, Mr Reuter said they will be greatly cheaper than conventional helicopter rides, and will aim to reach the prices of private-hire car services. The approximate cost of a 20km journey on a helicopter in the United States is $350.

Volocopter's air taxis can take a maximum payload of 160kg and has a rate of climb of up to 3 metres per second. It has a maximum airspeed of 100kmh and at a cruise speed of 50kmh, it has a flight time of less than half an hour.

Mr Tan said: "In Singapore, you know that we talk a lot about smart nation, smart mobility, and this whole urban area mobility thing is totally blurring the lines of transportation. Going forward, we are looking at how we can use air transportation to complement our land transportation."

In September 2017, Volocopter performed a public unmanned test flight in Dubai, where it partnered with the country's Roads and Transport Authority.

Mr Reuter said: "Helicopters today are very useful, but they are not used very much because of these constraints: safety and noise. Volocopter addresses these constraints and, therefore, we believe we have a completely new mode of transportation available now, and will also be very valuable for certain applications in Singapore."