Airbus Summit: The New All-Electric CityAirbus Revealed

• by Alex Lockey
• September 27, 2021
• 3 min read

Aerospace specialist Airbus recently announced plans for a new CityAirbus at the company’s first Airbus Summit. The new build is incredibly futuristic, ushering in a completely new era of flight.

Meet the next generation version of the CityAirbus © Credit to Airbus

Airbus, alongside the likes of Rolls-Royce and Vertical Aerospace, are spearheading the future of flight.

The perfect example of this in action is the outlined CityAirbus, an electric plane that is safe, sustainable, and an integrated Urban Air Mobility solution.

This “fully electric vehicle,” as Airbus calls it, has fixed wings, a V-shaped tail, complete with eight propellers. It was made to carry up to four passengers, emitting zero emissions as it travels. As is the case with the majority of electric plane/eVTOL concepts seen in recent months.

“We are on a quest to co-create an entirely new market that sustainably integrates urban air mobility into the cities while addressing environmental and social concerns,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO.

“Airbus is convinced that the real challenges are as much about urban integration, public acceptance, and automated air traffic management, as about vehicle technology and business models. We build on all of the capabilities to deliver a safe, sustainable, and fully integrated service to society.”

In terms of range, the CityAirbus can fly 80km total, reaching a cruise speed of 120 km/h. Meaning it won’t take you from country to country, but it can navigate certain points in major cities with ease.

No plane/helicopter looks/feels like this © Credit to Airbus

Sound-wise, the CityAirbus features noise-friendly parts (below 65 dB(A) during fly-over and below 70 dB(A) when landing). Moreover, this electric city bird is optimised for hover and cruise efficiency.

In other words, The next-gen CityAirbus doesn’t need moving surfaces of tilting parts to get off the ground.

“We have learned a lot from the test campaigns with our two demonstrators, CityAirbus and Vahana. The CityAirbus NextGen combines the best from both worlds with the new architecture striking the right balance between hover and forward flight. The prototype is paving the way for certification expected around 2025.”
— Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO

Airbus has spent a long time honing its craft. It has benefitted greatly from years of research, innovation — this also includes the production of two electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) demonstrators. The sustainable flight specialist has actually recorded 242 flight and ground tests of these aircraft, covering 1,000km overall.

The prototype mentioned here will take flight in 2023 for the first time, with certification expected two years later.

The work completed by Airbus applies to all in the space. Airbus hopes to create an air ecosystem of sorts, and we can’t wait to see how it pans out. But what do you make of this CityAirbus? Leave us a comment down below.

Alex Lockey

Alex likes aircraft a lot. Probably too much. After studying for his degree in Aeronautical Engineering, he started working in people services related to engineering and education. Yet, the allure of the skies keeps pulling him back in. Alex loves to focus on the emerging world of electrified flight, drone tech and the wider EV tech landscape. When he’s not penning a few pieces for E4TP, Alex mostly spends his time either with his young family or in his businesses. One day, he hopes to own his very own aircraft, preferably an electric one.

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