Plana, a South Korean developer of hybrid advanced air mobility (AAM) eVTOL aircraft, has joined hands with Gloria Aviation to develop a joint business and train AAM industry talent.

Plana signed the MoU with Gloria Aviation on 11 July. The business agreement ceremony held at Plana's Incheon R&D centre in Seoul was attended by major stakeholders from both companies, including Jinmo Lee, CPO of Plana, and Dae-hyun Shin, CEO of Gloria Aviation.

Gloria Aviation is the first company to operate an aviation-specialised school in Korea, and based on its know-how, it conducts diverse aviation-related education and research as well as training pilots and maintenance technicians.

Maintenance and repair of aircraft is one of the essential elements for a safe and accurate operation. It requires competence that combines accumulated data on aircraft, information on aircraft and maintenance know-how. Plana and Gloria Aviation, which have expertise in each field, plan to contribute to the development of the domestic AAM industry by sharing the manpower and technology needed for the development and operation of AAM aircraft.

Through the agreement, they will establish an education programme and qualification standards for AAM aviation workers, and conduct research and development on maintenance and operation methods for AAM aircraft. They will also start working on the AAM AOC (air operator certificate) standards. Air operator certification is a system that verifies whether an aircraft operator has the necessary personnel, facilities, equipment and maintenance support system to ensure safe flight.

Both companies said that the significance of this cooperation is that Plana, an aircraft developer, and Gloria Aviation, an MRO and education institution for aircraft, can cooperate with each other to raise the competitiveness of the AAM aviation industry to the next level.

“The aviation industry is facing a major technological turning point with the introduction of electric aircraft, and like electric vehicles, electric aircraft will become an easily accessible mode of transportation for the general public within a few decades,” says Dae-hyun Shin, CEO of Gloria Aviation. “We expect that Plana's hybrid aircraft will contribute to the stabilisation of electric aircraft by providing a technical buffer during the conversion process to pure electric power.”

“Through this agreement, we will be able to train manpower and technology that are the most important factors in the aviation industry,” Jinmo Lee, CPO of Plana, adds: “We will continue to contribute to the growth and activation of the AAM market and strive to build a competitive AAM ecosystem at home and abroad.”