US air mobility platform Blade Air Mobility has established a presence in Paris, France as Blade Europe. Sabrina Barbera will be executive director of the new venture and Anne-Pascale Guedon the executive vice president, business development. Both appointments are effective 1 June, 2022.

Barbera has nearly 20 years of experience in aerospace and aviation and is currently a vice president at Airbus Helicopters overseeing its simulation and training department, which trains over 8,000 pilots and technicians each year. Prior to this she was vice president and head of company development where she consummated 45 acquisitions, divestitures and strategic alliances for the company, including Airbus Helicopters' investment in Blade in 2018.

Guedon has 20 years of international experience as a former investment banker, for the last 12 years with Airbus where she was most recently vice president, international business development, reporting to the group executive committee. In that role, she invested and oversaw deployment of corporate funds in more than 30 countries, focusing on business diversification, disruptive technologies and low carbon projects for both rotorcraft and fixed wing aircraft.

"I have known Sabrina since she spearheaded Airbus' investment in Blade. Her creativity and exceptional drive, as well as her knowledge of the transition path from helicopters to electric vertical aircraft in urban air mobility, make her uniquely suited to fulfil this important role," says Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal. "Anne-Pascale has been a leading voice to help accelerate urban air mobility initiatives throughout Europe. Beyond her tenure at Airbus, she advised aerospace industry leaders including laureates of the Paris General Counsel, Groupe ADP, the owner and manager of Parisian international airports, as well as RATP Alliance, the world's fourth largest transport operator. Her knowledge of the regulatory landscape, as well as her long-standing European government relationships, will undoubtedly supercharge Blade's expansion throughout Europe."

Barbera foresees a significant growth opportunity in urban air mobility: "This, coupled with my work with Rob and Blade's senior management team on Airbus' investment in Blade, crystallised for me the sizeable addressable market Blade has in Europe. This is a new phase of my career that I am both excited and well prepared for."

Guedon is equally enthusiastic: “My experience at Airbus Group in helicopters, drones and fixed wing aircraft has enabled me to play an important role in the development of urban air mobility and the forthcoming transition to electric vertical aircraft. I have been consulting with Blade in Europe for over a year, and I am very excited to show the key constituents of the European urban air mobility ecosystem the unique capabilities Blade can bring to bear across the continent with its strong brand, proven asset-light model and access to capital. The time is right.”