Toulouse, France-based start up Ascendance Flight Technologies has appointed former Airbus senior vice president marketing and CMO François Caudron as special business advisor. Caudron will work alongside the board and the management team to support the commercial development of solutions designed by the young aircraft manufacturer.

Caudron, an aeronautical engineer by training, has a thorough knowledge of supply chains and aviation markets and has been working for more than 20 years at Airbus on the commercial side of emblematic projects. As VP customer and business development in 2007, he represented the A350XWB programme in front of customers and reciprocally was their voice inside the programme, which enabled the A350XWB to be particularly customer needs-focused. Under his leadership, Airbus' marketing was also instrumental in the launch of the Airspace cabin brand among the A321LR/XLR, ACJ220 and A350 cargo programmes between 2015 to 2021.

His extensive experience of aviation market requirements, customer needs and ability to work with OEMs to make aircraft solutions evolve is an invaluable asset for Ascendance Flight Technologies, which has just received 245 international purchase Letters of Intent for the Atea, its five-seat hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. This aircraft, scheduled for certification in 2025, is equipped with Sterna, a modular propulsion system developed and patented by Ascendance.