The inauguration of VoltAero’s final assembly facility and headquarters at Rochefort airport marks a major step toward certification and production of the company’s Cassio electric-hybrid aircraft family.

Located at Saint Agnant in the Charente-Maritime department of France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, this purpose-built 2,400sqm facility is the primary hub for production and delivery of Cassio-family aircraft, supported by VoltAero’s on-site design, engineering, flight test and administrative departments. It is sized for the assembly of 150 Cassio aircraft annually at full rate, to be backed by additional production sites that are to be created in other key geographical markets.

CEO and CTO Jean Botti says: “We are addressing the highly important market requirement to connect thousands of communities and regions around the world with truly sustainable and efficient advanced regional air mobility, while remaining fully compatible with the airport and air traffic control infrastructure. Additionally, our patented electric-hybrid propulsion system for Cassio provides the dual-source power to fly safely, and is based on electric battery technology that is available today.”

Botti notes that the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region has been at the heart of e-aviation since 2008, when he and members of his team built and flew the pioneering Cri-Cri and E-Fan all-electric airplanes while at Airbus. This was followed by VoltAero’s development of an electric-hybrid propulsion system, which will serve as the functional heart of the Cassio aircraft family, and has been validated on the Cassio S testbed aircraft.

Aligned with the strategy of developing Cassio as a highly eco-efficient aircraft, the company’s Rochefort airport industrial facility has been designed with the emphasis on sustainability. In addition to meeting or exceeding the requirements of France’s RT 2005 regulations for energy-efficient buildings, the project management team went further with features that include a mixed concrete/wood structural design and the use of wooden floors where appropriate, integration of skylights for natural lighting, along with rainwater harvesting and photovoltaic panels for electrical power.

The facility has direct access to Rochefort airport’s 2,280m long by 45m wide runway, as well as the availability of road, rail and sea transportation links. Its master plan includes the potential for future growth, as well as enabling suppliers and service providers to develop their own presence as they support the Cassio production.