Airbus and helicopter leasing company LCI are to partner on the development of ecosystems for eVTOL aircraft.
The partnership will focus on developing business models in the areas of strategy, commercialization and financing of eVTOL aircraft operations also known as AAM (advanced air mobility). It will also explore leasing and finance solutions for potential customers for the eVTOL aircraft Airbus is developing, the CityAirbus NextGen.
Balkiz Sarihan, CEO and head of Urban Air Mobility at Airbus said, "We are excited to extend our long-standing relationship with LCI, an innovative lessor that is globally unique in its positioning across the commercial fixed wing, helicopter and advanced air mobility sectors.
"LCI’s combination of operational expertise, customer networks, and financial insights, complements Airbus’ technical innovation in flight technologies, and will enable us to collectively drive the development of advanced air mobility. Together, we will take concrete steps towards the co-creation of next generation AAM ecosystems and our decarbonisation roadmap."
Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI (Lease Corporation International) said, “For two decades, LCI and Airbus have delivered capacity and financing solutions to airlines and operators across the globe, and we are now extending that to advanced air mobility.
“Transportation and logistical networks have a duty to be efficient, sustainable, and scalable. Both LCI and Airbus take a holistic and pragmatic view of advanced air mobility, including vehicles and also infrastructure, financing, and network adoption. By combining our respective strengths, we will incubate and accelerate an entirely new generation of aviation.”
Both companies will develop AAM market perspectives and forecasts, conduct industry research, and use data analytics to help understand new applications and missions. The partnership will also support the development of new AAM solutions, evaluate new commercial structures in areas including fleet, battery and charging network solutions.
Additionally, as part of the collaboration LCI will also become a financial partner for Airbus' AAM projects in areas such as emergency medical services, and will leverage its network to aid global take up and acceptance.
Airbus finalised the assembly of its CityAirbus NextGen and powered on the vehicle at the end of 2023. In the next phase, the company will start the vehicle’s test campaign at its new AAM test centre in Donauwörth, Germany.