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French officials are preparing to offer flying taxi services to people attending the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024.
法國官員正準備為參加2024年巴黎夏季奧運會的人們提供空中出租車服務。
If the taxis are actually deployed in the French capital, it could mark the first major real world demonstration of the flying technology.
如果真的在法國首都部署這些出租車，這可能是這項飛行技術首次在現實世界中進行重大演示。
Some air taxi developers attended the recent Paris Air Show to show off their products and seek industry support.
一些空中出租車開發商參加了最近的巴黎航展，展示了他們的產品，并尋求行業支持。
One of the companies in attendance was Germany's Volocopter, which plans to offer a flying taxi service during the Olympics.
德國的Volocopter公司就是其中之一，該公司計劃在奧運會期間提供空中出租車服務。
But so far, no air taxi maker has received government approval to launch service in France.
但到目前為止，還沒有一家空中出租車制造商獲得政府批準在法國推出這項服務。
Volocopter hopes to be the first.
Volocopter希望成為第一家獲得批準的公司。
But the company still needs to run its aircraft through intensive weather tests and provide thousands of pages of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
但該公司仍然需要對這種飛行器進行嚴格的天氣測試，并向歐洲航空安全局提供數千頁的證明文件。
Company chief Dirk Hoke admitted to the Reuters news agency that securing the approval will not be easy.
該公司首席執行官德克·霍克向路透社承認，獲得批準并非易事。
"It's not a walk in the park to be the first…" he said.
他說：“成為第一家獲得批準的公司可不像在公園里散步一樣簡單”。
Volocopter plans to carry out tests of its electric air taxis in different environments in Germany next month.
Volocopter公司計劃下個月在德國的不同環境中對其電動空中出租車進行測試。
Hoke said that in addition to worries about government approvals, the environment for air taxi companies has also faced difficulties linked to economic slowdowns affecting the world.
霍克說，除了擔心得不到政府的批準外，空中出租車公司的環境也面臨著與影響全球的經濟放緩有關的困難。
Robin Riedel co-leads the Center for Future Mobility at the business advisory company McKinsey.
羅賓·里德爾是商業咨詢公司麥肯錫未來移動中心的聯合負責人。
She told Reuters that companies formed to support air taxi projects have lost about 30 percent of their value in recent years.
她告訴路透社，為支持空中出租車項目而成立的公司近年來損失了約30%的價值。
In addition, many investors have decided to put money into drones instead of flying taxis.
此外，許多投資者決定將資金投入無人機，而不是空中出租車。
Industry experts say they fear these struggles could signal more financial problems for many other companies involved in air taxi development.
業內專家表示，他們擔心這些困難可能預示著，其他許多參與空中出租車開發的公司將會面臨更多財務問題。
Hoke – a former top executive at air industry player Airbus – has thought about a person he would like to be the first rider of his flying taxis – French President Emmanuel Macron.
霍克曾是航空業巨頭空中客車公司的高管，他想讓法國總統埃馬紐埃爾·馬克龍成為他的空中出租車的第一個乘客。
"That would be super amazing," Hoke told The Associated Press at the Paris Air Show.
霍克在巴黎航展上告訴美聯社：“這將是太棒了。”
He added: "(Macron) believes in the innovation of urban air mobility. That would be a strong sign to Europe to see the president flying."
他補充說：“馬克龍相信城市空中交通的創新。這將是讓歐洲看到總統乘坐空中出租車的一個強烈信號。”
One of the five planned Olympic trips would land in the heart of the city on a floating pad on the River Seine.
規劃好的五條奧運路線中有一條將降落在城市的中心塞納河上的一個浮動平臺上。
In the beginning, air taxi trips are likely to be short and costly.
一開始，空中出租車的行程可能會很短，價格也很昂貴。
This is because limited battery technology restricts the distance and number of paying passengers the aircraft can carry.
這是因為有限的電池技術限制了空中出租車的行駛距離和可以搭載的付費乘客的數量。
The long-term success of air taxis will also be dependent on effective systems to manage all the air traffic using the skies.
空中出租車的長期成功還將取決于有效的管理所有使用天空的空中交通的系統。
Experts say such systems will need new technology to provide safety for all flyers.
專家表示，這樣的系統需要新技術來為所有乘客提供安全保障。
As the industry progresses, the number of air taxis and drones is expected to reach into the millions.
隨著該行業的發展，空中出租車和無人機的數量預計將達到數百萬架。
Hoke said that one thing is sure, "It will be a total new experience for the people."
霍克說，有一點是肯定的，“對人們來說，這將是一種全新的體驗。”
He added, "Twenty years later (when) someone looks back at what changed based on that, and then they call it a revolution. And I think we are at the edge of the next revolution."
他補充說：“20年后，當有人回顧在此基礎上發生的變化時，他們稱之為革命。我認為我們正面臨下一次革命。”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布萊恩·林恩為您播報。
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