Just a few days ago, the Vivatech trade show had already given pride of place to innovation in the aeronautical sector with the presentation of a new "green" hypersonic aircraftFrom the Swiss start-up Destinus, which could carry around thirty passengers on 4-hour Paris-Sydney flights by 2030, comes the AirScooter, a futuristic Vespa with a vertical landing. Following on from the global tech event, the Paris Air Show provided a full-scale demonstration of thethe advent of aerial versions of urban mobility.
" Setting course for urban Airvolution !" announced the flagship aerospace show to present its 54e The Paris Air Mobility space was the venue for the world's first exhibition of flying taxis. " Over the last few years, urban air mobility has become a formidable laboratory for innovation, so much so that there are now just a dozen electric aircraft ready to take to the skies over our cities." explained Patrick Daher, General Commissioner of the Paris Air Show, in his introduction to the event.
This new generation of electric aircraft - or eVTOLs, for electric vertical take-off and landing - took centre stage, with a flight presentation of the Volocity, the flying taxi from Germany's Volocopter. One of the most successful projects of its kind. Already tested last year above the Pontoise sitethe Volocity continues to demonstrate its capabilities. Especially as it is expected in the skies over Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
But even before most of these high-tech aircraft have taken to the skies, the Paris Air Show has confirmed the expansion of this new mode of mobility. The first flights are not expected until 2026, Eve Air has filled its order book at the show, just like an Airbus or a Boeing. This subsidiary of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has booked orders for 70 aircraft for Voar Aviation, which plans to expand its operations between Brazil's major cities, as well as another 50 for the Norwegian airline Widerøe, which is part of the country's ambitions for zero-carbon air transport by 2040. All this, in addition to partnerships with the Danish aircraft leasing company Nordic Aviation Capital and Blade, one of the major players in air mobility in Southern Europe, as well as in North America and Asia.
But this new urban mobility offer is also of interest to airlines. United Airlines recently announced an order for 200 Eve Air eVTOLs - with a further 200 on option - for developing urban air mobility over San Francisco Bay. At the same time, United Airlines has also shown an interest in the Midnight flying taxi from the American company Archer Aviation, from which it has pre-empted around a hundred aircraft to provide connections between Chicago O'Hare airport and a vertiport close to the Loop, the business district of the American metropolis.
To make all these devices a reality, Archer can count on the industrial expertise of carmaker Stellantiswhose stake in Archer was recently increased. At the Paris Air Show, the two partners announced that construction of the world's first production site for eVTOLs, at Covington in the United States, was well under way. Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, described the objective as the launch of series production of Archer's aircraft. from mid-2024" . Production is expected to rise to 650 aircraft a year, with a future expansion of the site to 2,300 aircraft.
Alongside Volocopter, Eve Air and Archer, all the players involved in the future of aerial urban mobility presented their models in the Paris Air Mobility area, including China's EHang, Germany's Lilium and the USA's Joby Aviation. The exception was Boeing, which presented the sixth evolution of its four-seater flying taxi developed by its subsidiary Wisk Aerowith which Japan Airlines has recently signed a partnership agreement.
Electric flying taxi, low-carbon business jet: what's new at Le Bourget
The list of pioneers of this new generation of mobility also includes a French start-up, Ascendance Flight Technologies from Toulouse, whose hybrid-electric Atea aircraft is expected in 2025. This five-seater flying taxi should be capable of flying at 200 km/h over a distance of 400 km. Enough to make low-carbon intra-regional services between major cities with sub-optimal train services, such as New York-Washington or Toulouse-Clermont-Ferrand in 1.5 hours, but also to offer mobility solutions in dense urban areas such as San Francisco Bay, or to hop between areas that are difficult to reach other than by air, such as the islands of the Philippine archipelago. As a result, the model has begun to attract the interest of various players around the world, including Green Aeroleas and Helifirst in France, Evfly and Yugo in Singapore, Flyshare in California, Amedeo in Ireland and Philjets in the Philippines.
The French aerospace industry, one of the world's top performers, put its capacity for innovation to the fore at the Paris Air Show. A capacity for innovation that had been encouraged a few days before the opening of Le Bourget by Emmanuel Macron, who invited the sector to become "one of the most innovative sectors in the world". the champion of the ultra sober aircraft" . A message received loud and clear even before it was delivered, notably by Beyond Aero. Based at Toulouse-Francazal airport, the start-up took advantage of the show to present a prototype of a 'green' business jet, in this case the world's first hydrogen-powered business jet. Named One and able to carry 4 to 8 passengers, it should have a range of 1,500 km and a cruising speed of 575 km/h.
This should speed up the expected decarbonisation of business aviation, which is often the main source of carbon emissions. blacklisted for its environmental impact. " Beyond Aero has chosen to start with business aviation, which includes the need for low-carbon alternatives is the highest: on average, it emits 10 times more per passenger than commercial aviation." says the start-up.
Another French manufacturer pioneering low-carbon aviation, Aura Aero, is banking on electric propulsion, rather than hydrogen, for its ERA regional business jet, due in 2028. With a capacity of just ten passengers in business jet configuration, the aircraft should be able to cover distances of up to 1,600 km and land at major international airports as well as on short, unprepared runways. Hence a wide range of options for regional flights in developed regions or to open up less accessible areas. At the show, Aura Aero signed memorandums of understanding with the French company Pan Européenne Air Service, the American company Alpine Air and Afrijet, a carrier based in Gabon whose routes criss-cross Central Africa.
Opening up new regional routes without increasing carbon emissions: this objective is shared around the world. Like Aura Aero, the American company Eviation Aircraft is banking on the Alice electric aircraft, designed for nine passengers and already flight-tested last year. A " commuter aircraft "which has just received an order for 50 aircraft from Florida leasing company Aerolease. "We work with major airlines all over the world and we know from our many contacts that sustainable development is a very important issue." said Jep Thornton, Managing Partner of Aerolease.
However, while all these projects involve short, or even very short flights, the expected greening of air transport does not seem to have put the brakes on the ambitions of bring back the days of Concorde and supersonic flight. The start-up Boom, whose Overture concept has been selected by a number of airlines, including United, American and Japan Airlines, for a total of more than a hundred aircraft. Alongside its initial partners, including Safran and Collins Aerospace, Boom has added to the list of suppliers who will bring this ambitious project to life, with Aernnova for the wings, Leonardo for the fuselage and Aciturri for the empennage. The ultimate ambition is to produce aircraft capable of going twice as fast as today's airliners, but which can also incorporate 100% of SAF, sustainable air fuel. Faster, but no doubt no less green for all that.
