VoltAero selects new facility for hybrid-electric Cassio aircraft
Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022. At full rate, VoltAero anticipates producing approximately 150 Cassio aircraft per year.
VoltAero (Médis, France) has selected Rochefort Airport in France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region to produce its family of hybrid-electric Cassio aircraft.
The facility will be situated on a 6,770-square-meter site that incorporates the assembly line, logistics areas and offices. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022. At full rate, VoltAero anticipates producing approximately 150 Cassio aircraft per year.
“Rochefort was the clear winner based on factors that include its ground- and sea-based transportation links, an established aerospace industry in the region and the final assembly line’s location adjacent to the airport’s runway,” explains Jean Botti, VoltAero’s CEO and CTO.
Alain Rousset, president of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, adds, “VoltAero illustrates the challenge of transitioning the aeronautics sector and regional aviation to be more respectful of the environment.”
VoltAero adds that it is advancing the Cassio family’s design phase. The first Cassio version to be produced is the four-seat Cassio 330, with a combined hybrid-electric power of 330 kilowatts. Initial Cassio 330 deliveries are targeted for the fourth quarter 2023, to be followed by the Cassio 480 and Cassio 600, which use hybrid-electric propulsion rated at 480 and 600 kilowatts, respectively.
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