Story ID: 348
Spanish Start-up Crisalion Introduces Integrity eVTOL Aircraft
By: Charles Alcock
Caption: The company has launched a new funding round to support development work
Word Count: 256
Spanish start-up Crisalion Mobility is introducing its Integrity eVTOL aircraft at the Dubai Airshow. The company, which recently rebranded from its former name Umiles Next, says the aircraft will carry a single pilot and five passengers on flights of up to 100 km (63 miles) at a cruise speed of 180 km/h.
According to Madrid-based Crisalion, it has raised just over $16 million and is preparing to start another funding round in the first quarter of 2024 with support from the BlueBull investment bank. The company says it envisions applications including air taxi flights, emergency medical services, cargo operations, and tourism.
Announcing the program launch on November 8, Crisalion said it has already flown a subscale technology demonstrator. It added that Integrity will use its patented FlyFree technology, which it described as "a stability system that controls the aircraft movements in all directions" using rotor-control software.
In recent months, founder and CEO Carlos Poveda Rey has strengthened his management team with the appointment of Manuel Heredia as managing director, Oscar Lara as chief operating officer, and Gustavo Rodriquez as chief technology officer. It is now recruiting more specialists.
The company, which launched in 2019 as Umiles Next, has not said when it aims to complete type certification of the Integrity model, with which it will target both passenger and freight operations. The company intends to develop a remote control center for ground vehicles in Spain, which it says “will be tested soon in real-world private environments.”