Airbus debuts CityAirbus NextGen eVTOL prototype

Airbus (Toulouse, France) has officially presented its all-electric CityAirbus NextGen vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) prototype to the public, ahead of its maiden flight later this year. The two-tonne class aircraft, with a wing span of approximately 12 meters, is being developed to fly with an 80-kilometer range and to reach a cruise speed of 120 kilometers per hour, making it suited for operations in major cities for a variety of missions. It wings and rear structure are also composite, per partnerships with Spirit AeroSystems and KLK Motorsport and Modell- und Formenbau Blasius Gerg GmbH announced in 2022.

The unveiling coincided with the opening of the new CityAirbus test center in Donauwörth, Germany, which will be dedicated to testing systems for eVTOLs. The center, which is part of Airbus’ ongoing and long-term investment in advanced air mobility (AAM), began its operations with the CityAirbus NextGen’s power-on in December 2023 and it will be now used for the remaining tests required before the prototype’s maiden flight later in 2024. These tests cover the electric motors with their eight rotors as well as the aircraft’s other systems such as flight controls and avionics.

“Rolling out CityAirbus NextGen for the first time is an important and very real step that we are taking toward AAM and our future product and market,” notes Balkiz Sarihan, head of urban air mobility at Airbus.

At the same time, Airbus is expanding its global network and partnerships to create an ecosystem that will foster a successful and viable AAM market. Airbus recently signed a partnership agreement with aviation company LCI to focus on the development of partnership scenarios and business models in three core AAM areas: strategy, commercialization and financing.