Avincis is to explore opportunities with Airbus for operating eVTOL aircraft throughout Europe. The two companies will focus on defining the concept of operations for eVTOLs in Europe and beyond, and will jointly work to define mission profiles for eVTOL operations in Europe and other target regions. This agreement is another step towards the creation of an AAM ecosystem and is an expansion of Airbus' long standing relationship with Avincis.

Avincis CEO John Boag says: "Our partnership with Airbus is an important milestone for Avincis as we look to the future of emergency air services and the platforms that will support our missions for generations to come. eVTOLs will play an important role in our long-term fleet strategy as these technologies continue to evolve to give us further reach and capability in the field. Airbus is at the cutting-edge of this evolution, and we are excited to be working with its team in understanding how we can harness the latest technology to bring more sustainable solutions to emergency services globally."

"Avincis' established operational network, which is essential to enabling key missions such as emergency medical services, search and rescue, and fire-fighting, will be a valuable tool to collectively explore the mission potential of CityAirbus NextGen," adds head of UAM Balkiz Sarihan. "Through this collaboration we will explore how eVTOLs can contribute to missions that save lives and protect communities, a shared goal among our two companies."

The Avincis global fleet of more than 220 aircraft currently includes around 60 Airbus aircraft, which are critical to delivering safe, reliable and consistent operations from its bases across Europe, Africa and South America. The company has bases in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Finland, as well as operations in Mozambique and Chile.

Airbus remains committed to expanding its network of partnerships around the world in order to build an ecosystem that promotes a viable AAM market. The fully electric CityAirbus NextGen prototype was presented to the public in March 2024, following the vehicle's final assembly and power-on in December 2023. It is now undergoing testing at the company's AAM test centre in Donauwörth, Germany prior to its initial flight later this year.