China's Volant secures new fixed order for commercial passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On January 6, Chinese eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft developer Shanghai Volant Aerotech Co., Ltd. (Volant) secured a fixed order for commercial passenger eVTOL aircraft from Inner Mongolia Express General Aviation Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Jiangsu Asian Express Aviation Development Group Co., Ltd. (Asian Express Aviation), according to a post on Volant's WeChat account. This marks the first confirmed procurement order for eVTOL aircraft required by a leading private general aviation company in China.

In July 2023, Asian Express Aviation and Volant signed a letter of intent, under which the former intended to procure 118 VE25 aircraft from the latter. These aircraft are expected to be used for various applications, including sightseeing, emergency rescue, medical evacuation, and short-haul transportation.

With this fixed order, both sides plan to deepen cooperation in areas such as product R&D, airworthiness certification, combined testing and operations, maintenance, and training. The partnership aims to validate the application and operation of the VE25 aircraft in real-world scenarios, ensuring the product meets practical requirements.

Volant focuses on the R&D, design, and manufacturing of passenger-grade eVTOL aircraft. Its core product, the VE25-100, is a composite-wing aircraft, which is designed to carry one pilot and five passengers. Since its founding, Volant has received investments from prominent firms such as Shunwei Capital, Future Capital, CDH Investments, Legend Capital, and China Internet Investment Fund. The company has so far secured intended orders of over 860 aircraft, with a total value of 22 billion yuan. Those aircraft can be used in major scenarios including low-altitude sightseeing, training, short-haul transport, cargo delivery, emergency rescue, and urban mobility.

As a diversified aviation group in China, Asian Express Aviation focuses on low-altitude short-haul transport, aerial photography and surveying, and aviation consumer services.