Autoflight announces collab with Falcon Aviation Services

Autoflight, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developer, announced a major aviation collaboration during the ongoing Dubai Airshow.

The collaboration between the company and Falcon Aviation Services, a leading business aviation services operator in the Middle East and Africa region, is aimed at spearheading innovation and reshaping aerial mobility in the region, said Autoflight, a leading eVTOL developer which has offices in Augsburg, Germany and Shanghai.

Falcon Aviation Services, one of the world's top five helicopter tour operators which serves 70,000 sightseeing passengers annually, is gearing up to introduce the first eVTOL touristic, cargo, and air-taxi flights in the region, according to a Nov 13 Autoflight press release.

With energy consumption levels comparable to those of an electric car, eVTOL aircraft, which require no fixed facilities such as airports and runways, are widely considered to be the future of transportation. They are quieter and more affordable than helicopters, and are expected to be widely used for travel within cities and between them.

Autoflight already has eVTOL aircraft prototypes including its Prosperity I model. The vehicle is a fixed-wing aircraft that uses rotors to achieve vertical takeoff before using its wings for horizontal flight.

Since the company's first proof-of-concept prototype was flown in Shanghai at the end of 2021, the aircraft has undergone four rounds of development. It also set a record for the longest single-charge flight by an eVTOL craft in February this year after it traveled 250.3 kilometers.

Autoflight's eVTOL model for cargo transport, known as CarryAll, is set to be released next year, and a passenger version will also be rolled out in the coming years, according to the company.

"Our collaboration with Falcon Aviation Services is a major milestone in the advancement of advanced air mobility in the UAE and the broader region of Middle East and Africa," said Mark Robert Henning, managing director of AutoFlight Europe.

"Together in this strong partnership, we take pride in being able to showcase the capabilities of our innovative Prosperity passenger eVTOL and cargo CarryAll to the Emirates, spearheading a revolution in regional aerial mobility."