Airbus Helicopters is set to start a new phase of testing of its CityAirbus eVTOL technology demonstrator with plans to begin forward flight trials and the expansion of the flight envelope at its Manching facility in Germany around the end of August. The move follows the successful first automatic flight by the aircraft on July 31 at the European group’s Donauworth facility and the first public demonstration conducted during a visit by Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Soder on July 20.
Using the more spacious and secure test facilities at Manching, near Munich, Airbus engineers will be able to increase flight test speeds and evaluate cruise performance. The next phase of flight testing for the four-seat CityAirbus had been due to start earlier this year but was delayed by Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.
On June 30, Airbus announced an emergency package of cost-saving measures in response to the dramatic downturn in the air transport sector. This includes the loss of around 15,000 jobs across its global workforce.
However, CEO Guillaume Faury stated that the company intends to maintain investment in research and development work focused on technology to reduce carbon emissions from aviation. Lately, the company has signaled a growing interest in developing aircraft powered by hydrogen. This could signal a shift in emphasis from the battery-powered CityAirbus and earlier Vahana technology demonstrator programs, which are being used to resolve the direction that Airbus takes with its longer-term plans for the eVTOL sector.
