Airbus’s head of urban air mobility (UAM), Eduardo Dominguez Puerta, is joining eVTOL aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace as its chief commercial officer (CCO). He will lead the UK-based start-up’s efforts to bring its five-seat VA-X4 model to market in 2024.
Prior to his most recent role with Airbus, Dominguez Puerta was on the leadership team of the aerospace group’s A-cubed technology incubator unit in Silicon Valley. As the company's chief operating officer, he was involved in the Vahana eVTOL technology demonstrator project, as well as other work on developing UAM infrastructure and the Voom ridesharing service (using helicopters).
Vertical’s business model appears to involve selling the VA-X4 to operators who will provide air taxi services, rather than directly providing commercial services like some other leading eVTOL pioneers. The Bristol-based company said its new CCO will, “drive commercialization and the path to market for Vertical, supporting the business as its continues to build its mission to make air travel personal, on-demand, and carbon-free.”
Flight testing with a full-scale prototype is expected to start before the end of 2021, beginning with tethered operations and progressing to untethered flights in 2022. Vertical has indicated that it may hold a public roll-out for the design this summer. The all-electric, fixed-wing tiltrotor design is expected to fly up to around 100 miles at 150 mph with a pilot and up to four passengers on board.
Vertical has selected several leading aerospace manufacturers to supports its program. Roll-Royce is providing the propulsion system, Honeywell is responsible for avionics and flight controls, and composites specialist Solvay will make aerostructures.
