Abu Dhabi-based Falcon Aviation, in partnership with helicopter manufacturer Leonardo, has unveiled a special-purpose terminal building that it intends to support urban air mobility services. The business aviation group wants to open the first facility in time for next year's Expo2020 event in Dubai, which is due to run for almost six months.
Falcon Aviation unveiled its plans during the 2019 Dubai Air Show, explaining that the facilities will include a helipad, showroom, and lounge areas. It also confirmed that it is evaluating Leonardo's AW609 tiltrotor as a possible addition to its fleet of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The AW609 has been in development for close to two decades and is reported to be close to achieving type certification.
“The aircraft is under evaluation at the moment,” said George Prentzas, Falcon Aviation executive managing committee member, referring to the AW609. “We have confirmed that the terminal—the building that is going to accommodate all passenger requirements in one area—is going to [meet] the level of service that we want to offer to our passengers. We are evaluating several locations, but at the moment we know for a fact that it's going to be [in operation] at the Expo 2020. [In time, there could be] several of these around the country.”
“When you do your studies in general, and this is my personal opinion, tiltrotor is the future, but I cannot confirm right now the results of the evaluation the Falcon operation is doing,” he said. “There is a key moment where you have to decide where are you going commercially. There are so many missions that we need to explore and certain aspects that need to be evaluated.”
The AW609 has a range of between 600 and 700 miles and would be ideal for point-to-point operations, said Gian Piero Cutillo, managing director of Leonardo Helicopters. “It will be a step higher on mobility. You won't need to go to the airport and take a plane from Milan to Paris. It will change the way we do transportation."
