Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) has been contracted by the city of Toulouse, France to open a facility to develop and test Hyperloop-related technologies to enhance the aerospace sector.

A proposed method of passenger and freight transportation, Hyperloop propels a pod-like vehicle through a near-vacuum tube exceeding airline speeds.

“The talent pool in the region allows us to hire some of the brightest minds in aerospace.”

Under the deal, a new 37,674ft² facility will be opened at France’s Francazal Airport, a former military base being converted into a mobility innovation park.

HTT CEO Dirk Ahlborn said: “Our new centre in Toulouse will help us continue to develop and manufacture important aerospace technology, which will further improve the system.

“The talent pool in the region allows us to hire some of the brightest minds in aerospace.”

Established in 2013, HTT is a crowdfunding and crowdsourcing incubator platform that uses collective knowledge and assets to develop concepts such as Hyperloop.

The company has already partnered with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, US, for using the laboratory’s passive magnetic levitation system as the core of low-cost, safety-conscious construction and design in the Hyperloop.

HTT chairman Bibop Gresta said: “Toulouse is the heart of Europe's aerospace industry so it is only natural that we have a presence there amongst many of our partners and peers.”

It is reported that the air route between Toulouse and Paris is the busiest in Europe, transporting 2.4 million passengers a year.