The agreement will bring Cassio aircraft to Southeast Asia for efficient and sustainable regional air mobility
Global Sky, a company specialising in aircraft trading, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with French aerospace firm VoltAero for the pre-order of 15 Cassio aircraft, becoming a candidate launch customer in Southeast Asia for VoltAero’s family of electric-hybrid airplanes.
According to a press statement by VoltAero, the agreement enables the two companies to collaborate on actions that will bring Cassio aircraft to Southeast Asia for efficient and sustainable regional air mobility.
This will include the definition of routes and operations for the hybrid-electric aircraft, the identification of airport compatibility and establishment of recharging infrastructure at such facilities, and the development of a Cassio distribution network.
By integrating VoltAero’s patented electric-hybrid propulsion system into the company’s purpose-designed airframe, the Cassio aircraft will deliver an order of magnitude higher performance as compared to the current competition and provide significantly lower operational costs, says the statement.
It adds that the agreement was announced at the opening of this week’s Farnborough International Airshow in the UK.
Jean Botti
“Cassio is a perfect match for the regional air mobility ambitions of Southeast Asia, bringing together the aircraft’s flight range with the designed-in safety of our patented parallel electric-hybrid propulsion system. We look forward to a mutually beneficial collaboration with Global Sky,” says Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and Chief Technology Office.
Christian Duhain
“Southeast Asia’s regional aviation infrastructure will mature rapidly in the coming years with a growing emphasis on sustainability, which creates the right environment for the introduction of Cassio. Our partnership with VoltAero is well-timed to meet the growing requirements of this region,” says Christian Duhain, CEO, Global Sky.
Global Sky provides aircraft trading services to aircraft owners, with exclusive access to an extensive inventory of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
It also offers a full range of complementary services, including aircraft management, financing and technical support.
VoltAero says its Cassio electric-hybrid aircraft family will be a capable and reliable product line for regional commercial operators, air taxi/charter companies, private owners, as well as in utility-category service for cargo, postal delivery and medical evacuation (Medevac) applications. It will be produced in three versions, namely the five-seat Cassio 330, the Cassio 480 with six seats and the 10-12-seat Cassio 600.
According to the VoltAero propulsion concept, Cassio aircraft will utilise the Engineus 100 electric motor in the aft fuselage-mounted hybrid propulsion unit for all-electric power during taxi, takeoff, primary flight, if the distance travelled is less than 150 km, and landing.
The hybrid feature, with the internal combustion engine, comes into play as a range extender, recharging the batteries while in flight. This hybrid element serves as a backup in the event of a problem with the electric propulsion, ensuring true fail-safe functionality.
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