Volocopter and its partners, including Aéroports de Paris (ADP), had intended to showcase this innovative technology during the global sporting event. However, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) detected small vibrations in the engines that prevent the aircraft from meeting the required safety standards for flight.

ADP's Chief Executive, Augustin de Romanet, explained in an interview with the broadcaster France Info that, following this setback, the EASA has requested the relevant modifications from the American engine supplier. "We remain hopeful that certification will be granted in 2024, which would be the first certification in the world for these vertical take-off vehicles," said de Romanet, adding that they hope to fly in Paris before the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, scheduled for December.

Volocopter had conducted tests in the Paris region for several years and had worked hard to obtain authorisation from European authorities before the Games. The Volocity aircraft, equipped with 18 electric rotors in a circular frame above the fuselage, is designed to carry a pilot and a passenger. The experimental flights, initially planned to depart from a barge on the River Seine near the Austerlitz station and head to the heliport at Issy-les-Moulineaux, will be postponed.

ADP's Deputy CEO, Edward Arkwright, expressed some disappointment at the delay, but emphasised that "in any case, we had said that we would not compromise on safety." Meanwhile, Volocopter's CEO, Dirk Hoke, pointed out that the delay was caused by "an American supplier who was unable to deliver on what had been promised." Although the engines will return to France next week, they will not arrive in time for the tests in Paris before the conclusion of the Olympic Games.

Faced with the inability to use the Games as a showcase, Volocopter and ADP have relocated the experimental flights to a suburban area, between the gardens of the Palace of Versailles and the nearby town of Saint Cyr l'Ecole, presenting them as a "world first." De Romanet explained that a base has been prepared at this iconic site, evoking the first hot air balloon flight carried out in 1783 in the same gardens.

The Volocity project has generated controversy in France, with the Paris City Council being openly hostile to the flights during the Olympic Games. Many city officials have criticised the initiative as environmentally harmful and beneficial only to a wealthy elite. However, the project's promoters have defended its potential usefulness for medical evacuations and organ transport. De Romanet assured that "it will save many lives," noting that the German road rescue organisation has ordered 80 units from Volocopter.

Despite the setbacks, the promoters of Volocity remain hopeful that flights over the Seine will take place before the reopening of Notre Dame, which would mark a milestone in the history of urban aviation. Meanwhile, tests will continue in less urban areas, away from the global attention that would have been garnered during the Olympic Games.