Rolls-Royce, the British manufacturer, and Luxury charter airline Luxaviation have just announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to work together to drive advanced air mobility (AAM).
Under the agreement, Rolls-Royce will provide electrification solutions, maintenance support services, and digital solutions for Luxaviation Group’s planned network of airport vertiports, which already has more than 120 VIP terminals at airports around the world.
The MOU between Rolls-Royce Electrical, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, and Luxaviation focuses on operations, vertiports, and surrounding infrastructure to support these new markets. The strategic partnership will focus on three main areas:
- Cargo and power infrastructure for vertiports.
- Maintenance provision for electric aircraft
- Digital solutions for AAM-related applications
Release Summary
Rob Watson, President of Rolls Royce Electrical, said, «Rolls-Royce will be the leading provider of all-electric and hybrid propulsion and power systems for advanced air mobility. As part of our strategy, we are looking to ensure that we understand how we can provide maintenance and services for these new aircraft. Based on our existing MRO and analytical capabilities. We are delighted to be collaborating with Luxaviation. We believe will be a leading player in the AAM industry. Hence this collaboration will help both partners to be at the forefront of this new market.»
«This strategic partnership also leverages Rolls-Royce’s capabilities and technology as we develop propulsion and electric power systems for eVTOL and commuter aircraft. Rolls-Royce is ready to leverage our existing network to offer maintenance services for electrical systems. In addition, Rolls-Royce Power Systems can offer microgrid solutions. This will support fast charging of electric aircraft and deliver sustainable, reliable, cost-effective, and climate-friendly power to vertiports,» he concluded.
For his part, Rolls-Royce Power Systems CEO Andreas Schell said, «Rolls-Royce will offer integrated single-source solutions across all of its business units. Power Systems can already supply climate-friendly microgrids that combine renewable energy sources, battery storage, and conventional power generation. Soon we will also offer them fuel cell generators, hydrogen engines, and electrolyzers. This is another demonstration of how Rolls-Royce is helping to make aviation more sustainable.»
See also: Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Shell seek to accelerate zero emissions on long-haul flights
Finally
For Christophe Lapierre, Luxaviation’s chief strategy officer and president of Business Aviation Support Services said the «common vision of enabling early adoption by leveraging existing capabilities puts this partnership in an advanced position, significantly driving the evolution of this new industry segment. Our concept is to provide an agile and continuously evolving solution to scale advanced air mobility operations along with the pace of regulatory development and market demand.»
In 2021 Rolls-Royce announced its plans to promote the sustainability of air operations. In that regard, «its electric technology is one way the company is helping to decarbonize critical parts of the global economy. Rolls-Royce is committed to ensuring that its new products are net-zero compliant by 2030 and that all of its products are net-zero compliant by 2050,» the company said in a statement.
