Airbus and Ecocopter to Work Together on UAM Market
in Latin America
(21/09/22)
Airbus and Ecocopter have signed a Memorandum of
Understanding to start collaborating on the launch of urban air
mobility services across various countries in Latin America.
The partners will explore and
define launch scenarios for air mobility operations in Ecuador,
Chile and Peru, including joint activities to develop
UAM operations, as well as ways to target first
use cases and pilot cities and regions.
The partnership is an
expansion of Airbus’ strong relationship with Ecocopter,
who operates a fleet primarily comprised of Airbus helicopters for
aerial work missions in a variety of industrial sectors.
Marcelo Rajchman, Ecocopter’s Corporate CEO, said,
“With already 20 years of experience operating helicopters and 5
years operating drones, this partnership is a natural step for us.
We seek to be a relevant player in the UAM ecosystem and the
projects we will develop together with Airbus will bring us closer
to this goal.”
Established in 2003, Ecocopter is a reference in
highly complex aerial work missions in South America.
Its fleet of
Airbus helicopters, consisting of 16 H125s, two H135s, and three
H145s, is characterised by their high versatility and perform
missions ranging from offshore transport, mining support, medical
evacuation, firefighting, and almost the entire range of aerial
work missions.
Balkiz Sarihan, Airbus’ Head of Partnerships &
Strategy Execution for UAM, said, “We are excited to extend our
long standing relationship with Ecocopter. Together we are taking
concrete steps in the co-creation of the UAM ecosystem and our
decarbonisation roadmap. This partnership leverages Airbus’
expertise in innovative vertical flight technologies, and
Ecocopter’s extensive operational history and innovative culture.”
In September 2021, Airbus unveiled its eVTOL
prototype CityAirbus NextGen, to explore advanced air mobility
technologies and bring urban air mobility services to life. With
an operational range of 80 km and a cruise speed of 120 km/h, it
has been developed to be suited for a range of deployments in
urban areas and beyond. The Company just announced the
construction of a dedicated centre to test the aircraft’s systems
in the lead up to its maiden flight. Airbus is also working
closely with industrial and institutional partners to lead the
development of urban air mobility ecosystems, as recently
announced with ITA Airways in Italy, or through the launch of the
Air Mobility Initiative in Germany.
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