Decades ago, air taxis were operated in many major cities around the world before ultimately failing to be profitable. Now, we’re seeing an influx of companies under the eVTOL banner that stands for “electric vertical take-off and landing” trying to reinvent the sector.
China’s AutoFlight is one of those companies and they’ve just named a new Managing Director and set a new goal to begin service with their first production craft, the Prosperity I by 2025.
If the image of a remote control drone just popped into your head, you’re on the right track. The company’s founder and CEO actually got his start in the industry as an R/C aircraft businessman. Today, he’s an FAA fixed-wing and helicopter license owner and he’s aiming to put people into full-size four-passenger flying taxis.
Just a little over a year ago, AutoFlight picked up a new investment of $100-million into the brand, and now we’re starting to see where that money is going. The company had little to share but aspirations at that time but this week, they named a new managing director for their European branch. That man is Mark Henning, a former manager at Airbus, and he’s stoked about the chance to bring the Prosperity I to market.
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“We are bringing aircraft construction back to Augsburg, creating a high-tech location and jobs as we build drones and create a completely new market segment for airtaxis. What I really like about AutoFlight and ‘Prosperity I’ is the underlying simple concept. Simplicity translates into safety and efficiency.” he says. That commitment to safety seems to be a big focus for AutoFlight as they enter the next step in development which will be testing and certification across Europe.
The company says that they’ve already completed more than 10,000 take-offs and landings in adverse weather conditions. They’re hoping to have their first passenger craft, the Prosperity I in service by 2025. The vehicle will shuttle up to three passengers per trip plus a pilot and have a maximum range of 155 miles (250km). While we’ll have to wait to see if they can actually bring the plan to birth, they do seem to have a better chance after today’s announcement.
