Airbus has presented its full electric CityAirbus NextGen prototype to the public, ahead of its maiden flight later this year. CityAirbus has wing span of approximately 12 metres and is being developed to fly with a 80 km range to reach a cruise speed of 120 km/h. The company believes CityAirbus is well suited for operations in major cities and a variety of missions. 

The unveiling coincided with the opening of the new CityAirbus test centre in Donauwörth, which will be dedicated to testing systems for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles (eVTOLs). The centre, 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 the year. These tests cover the electric motors with their eight rotors as well as the aircraft’s other systems such as flight controls and avionics.

Airbus recently signed a partnership agreement with LCI to focus on the development of partnership scenarios and business models in three core AAM areas: strategy, commercialisation and financing.