Development of Advanced Air Mobility

Airbus and Avincis, a well-established European helicopter operator, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner on the development of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM).

As reported by Airbus, the companies will collaborate to explore opportunities for operating electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft throughout Europe.

Through the agreement, Airbus and Avincis will focus on defining the concept of operations for eVTOLs in Europe and beyond.

Both parties will jointly work to define mission profiles for eVTOL operations in Europe and other target regions.

This agreement is another step towards creating an AAM ecosystem and is an expansion of Airbus’ longstanding relationship with Avincis.

Avincis’ perspective on the partnership

John Boag, CEO of Avincis, highlighted the significance of the partnership: “Our partnership with Airbus is an important milestone for Avincis, as we look to the future of emergency air services and the platforms that will support our missions for generations to come.

“eVTOLs will play an important role in our long-term fleet strategy as these technologies continue to evolve to give us further reach and capability in the field.”

Boag added: “Airbus is at the cutting-edge of this evolution, and we are excited to be working with their team in understanding how we can harness the latest technology to bring more sustainable solutions to emergency services globally.”

Airbus’ commitment to eVTOL technology

Balkiz Sarihan, Head of Urban Air Mobility at Airbus, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration: “We’re pleased to partner with Avincis.

“Their established operational network, which is essential to enabling key missions such as emergency medical services, search and rescue, and fire-fighting, will be a valuable tool to collectively explore the mission potential of CityAirbus NextGen.”

Sarihan continued: “Through this collaboration, we will explore how eVTOLs can contribute to missions that save lives and protect communities, a shared goal among our two companies.”

The ongoing collaboration and future steps

The Avincis global fleet currently includes around 60 Airbus aircraft, which are critical to delivering safe, reliable and consistent operations from its bases across Europe, Africa, and South America.

Avincis and Airbus have enjoyed a longstanding and successful cooperation, developing a solid and trusting relationship that will form the foundation of this new eVTOL collaboration.

Airbus remains committed to expanding its network of partnerships around the world to build an ecosystem that promotes a viable AAM market.

The fully electric CityAirbus NextGen prototype was presented to the public in March 2024, following the vehicle’s final assembly and power-on in December 2023.

The vehicle is now undergoing testing at the company’s AAM test centre in Donauwörth, Germany, prior to its initial flight later this year.