Day 2 at Paris Air Show sees fresh orders for Embraer & more developments in sustainable aviation
Air taxi companies take center stage on the second day of the Paris Air Show 2023
Chinese urban mobility firm AutoFlight has unveiled Prosperity I, its electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicle that set the world record for the longest eVTOL flight in February, travelling over 250 km in real conditions.
At a press conference this morning, CEO Tian Yu presented the electric vertical take off and landing vehicle (EVTOL) Prosperity I. He said the company has already received certification for the cargo version of its multi-utility function from the Chinese aviation regulator and could see launch of its services for cargo by early 2024.
Yu added that he also expects to receive certification for human passenger transport by the next year. Prosperity I has a capacity of five persons, including the pilot.
It has already received pre-orders for about 900 units of Prosperity I EVTOL and expects the market in China alone to be for at least 9,000 units.
Yu added that the company is entirely vertically integrated and makes all the parts on its own.
Designed by the legendary designer Frank Stephenson, renowned for his previous successes with Ferrari, Maserati, and McLaren, Prosperity I’s design combines aesthetics and efficiency, reflecting the leading company’s commitment to sustainable urban mobility.
In another development related to sustainable aviation, French manufacturer Daher joined hands with French startup Ascendance Flight Technologies to accelerate the electrification of future aircraft and reduce their CO2 emissions.
Daher says that the partnership will allow it to research new ways of hybridising the propulsion systems of Daher aircraft based on technologies developed by Ascendance Flight Technologies, a Toulouse-based startup and winner of a French Tech 2030 award.
It says that the collaboration with Ascendance Flight Technologies further underlines Daher Group’s ambitions to leverage innovation and accelerate the decarbonisation of its activities, with particular emphasis on its aircraft division.
These decarbonisation ambitions are set out in the Take Off 2027 strategic plan announced by Daher earlier this year, and are supported by a high level of R&D project investment, made possible by the fact that this innovation budget has quadrupled since 2017, it says.
At a press conference, Daher said that the Toulouse-based startup will contribute its expertise in hybrid-electric propulsion systems architecture, modeling, integration and testing to the collaboration with Daher. As a result, it will be able to test its technology on successful CS23-category aircraft, designed and marketed by Daher Aerospace, a leader in its market segment.
Daher Group partners with Ascendance Flight Technologies to advance 360-degree innovation towards decarbonizing aviation by 2050 says Didier Kayat
“We’re delighted to be partnering with Ascendance Flight Technologies. As a major player in general aviation, Daher Group is totally committed to achieving the goals around decarbonising aviation by 2050, and taking significant steps forward towards that goal during this decade. This new collaboration illustrates the 360-degree innovation strategy we’re now implementing to make that happen,” Daher Group CEO Didier Kayat told a press conference.
“Daher is a high-profile aircraft manufacturer, with a very high level of technical expertise and aircraft that are respected and renowned in their market segments. So we’re delighted to have this opportunity of contributing our expertise and technologies to this family-owned French group, with which we share the goal of accelerating the decarbonisation of aviation,” added Jean-Christophe Lambert, Co-founder & CEO of Ascendance Flight Technologies.
Fresh orders for Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer
Another highlight of Paris Air Show today was the press conference by Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer, which is presenting its latest passenger aircraft E2, which Embraer claims has the lowest carbon emission among the regional jets.
Embraer also announced a strong of orders today from buyers ranging from American Airlines to aircraft leasing company Azarro.
