The early development of advanced air mobility solutions using VoltAero’s Cassio electric-hybrid aircraft will be explored in a wide-ranging agreement with Sigma Air Mobility, opening the potential for a route demonstration pilot project, along with the identification of services for Cassio in its air ambulance version.
This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was announced during a press conference at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow.
The pilot project envisioned in the agreement will showcase the Cassio’s capabilities in operational conditions, while also fostering local network growth and defining use cases. Its location will be announced later this year.
Also identified in the MoU is the joint opportunity to develop industry technical standards for airport recharging infrastructures, facilities and the related technologies; along with the potential collaboration on operating models, economics and decarbonization trends and metrics to further adjust growth plans.
“This perfectly-timed agreement enables VoltAero and Sigma Air Mobility to focus on realistic regional air mobility solutions with the Cassio aircraft and its parallel electric-hybrid propulsion system,” said Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO & chief technology officer. “It comes at a time when the aviation industry and transportation sectors are increasingly skeptical about all-electric solutions that raise more questions than answers for the future of air mobility.”
Christophe Lapierre, the CEO of Sigma Air Mobility said, “The MoU aligns our two companies’ extensive aviation expertise on a pragmatic and tangible path to market, validating Cassio operations and its infrastructure and ecosystem with a very local and streamlined pilot project.”
Lapierre added that regional air mobility represents a significant market opportunity in the 300-plus kilometer range, which has been largely under-addressed to date. Additionally, electric-hybrid CTOL (conventional take-off and landing) aircraft can more easily leverage existing infrastructure, while Cassio’s fixed wing design with its dual propulsion system provides a simplified path to certification.
