VONAER, a South Korean Urban Air Mobility (UAM) service company based in Seoul, announced this week it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to introduce AutoFlight’s aircraft into South Korea, reports edaily.co.kr. The initial aim is to purchase 20 Prosperity eVTOLs. The signing ceremony was held following AutoFlight’s Prosperity 1 flight demonstration in the skies over Shenzhen, China.
Two aircraft flew in formation. Both succeeded in crossing the 55km section of the strait between Hong Kong and Macao in 20 minutes with low noise of 65db and stable flight while maintaining an altitude of 150m.
Kellan Jai, Vice President of Autoflight, commented, “Korea is one of the most active countries in the UAM industry and through the collaboration with VONAER, we aim to contribute to this development by presenting a new service model.” Adding, “The objective is to seamlessly integrate the VONAER platform for UAM services.”
Before AutoFlight’s commercial Type Certification, VONAER plans to establish an air taxi service MaaS platform utilising helicopters, with the intention of transitioning to certified eVTOL aircraft once the UAM service is established.
Shin Min, CEO of VONAER, remarked, “Safety verification is the most important aspect and why I have been looking at AutoFlight’s aircraft, which has an excellent safety and maintenance record.” He continued, “Through this collaboration, we will develop a UAM aircraft operation management solution on our platform and prepare for global expansion.”
Kellen Xie, VP of AutoFlight, added, “Our agreement with VONAER is a strategic move to pave the way for our entry into the Korean market.”
Autoflight, based both in Germany and China, already possesses a production line capable of manufacturing various types of eVTOLs including drones, covering both passenger and cargo transportation. Its facility in Shanghai is capable of producing up to 1,000 aircraft a year. Autoflight aims to commence commercialisation following approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for cargo transportation eVTOLs in the first half of this year.
Prosperity 1 accommodates four passengers alongside one safety pilot and can travel up to 200 km/h, with a distance a range of 250km on a single charge. Autoflight is to begin full-scale commercialisation in the first half of this year after Type Certification approval from China’s CAAC air regulator.
For more information
(News Source: https://www.edaily.co.kr/)
