eSTOL aircraft developer Airflow has brought former Embraer Group CEO Paulo Cesar Silva onto its advisory board and announced the company’s order book now exceeds $600 million.
Silva spent over two decades at Embraer S.A. in different roles, overseeing all major business units, and was instrumental in leading the company to its market-leading position today. This included launching EmbraerX to develop new disruptive business models for the Advanced Air Mobility market.
In his advisory role, Silva will advise Airflow on bringing new aircraft to market, including financing, manufacturing, and go-to-market strategy.
Commenting on his new role, he said: “The future of aviation not only demands net-zero carbon emissions, but also the ability to bring to market a much lower operating cost aircraft while meeting the needs of both passengers and operators.
“The Airflow team has the right experience to effectively seize the opportunity of eSTOLs thereby changing the face of sub-regional transportation. I’m excited to work alongside Marc and the team and inform, through my own experience, a focus on customer needs and a compelling value proposition.”
Airflow was founded in 2019 by five former Airbus Vahana team members to bring eSTOL capabilities to the sub-regional aviation market.
The team, led by CEO Marc Ausman, has deep experience in aerospace and technology development — with backgrounds from companies such as Airbus, Eclipse Aviation, Northrop Grumman, Uber Elevate, Airware, and Scaled Composites.
On Airflow’s website, there are two aircraft – the Model 100 which has a payload of 500lbs plus cargo and range of 250 miles plus reserves. The Model 200 aircraft can transport 2,000lbs of cargo a range of 500 miles plus reserves.
One of the 11 customers which have already ordered Airflow’s eSTOL aircraft include Ravn Alaska. The company placed a 50-strong order earlier this year and will use the aircraft for flights across the state.
Airflow says eSTOL aircraft are capable of utilising both existing aviation infrastructure as well as emerging off-airport infrastructure, making them the option of choice for airlines seeking to deploy near-term, carbon-neutral aircraft for sub-regional missions. These missions are complementary to eVTOL missions envisioned within urban areas, as eSTOL aircraft can scale within existing regulatory frameworks and serve longer-range missions.
Ausman added: “The interest that we’re seeing from airlines worldwide for realistic eSTOL capabilities is incredible. This means we’re able to offer cargo and passengers operators value from day one by using today’s infrastructure, regulations, and use cases.
“In fact, customers will be able to expand their existing networks using our next-gen aircraft. With Paulo advising Airflow he will aid us in continuing to focus on our North Star which is a commitment to solving real-world customer needs.”
Airflow has said its eSTOL solution can save an estimated 1.2 GT of CO2 by 2050, while its engineering and manufacturing facilities exceed the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards (LEED) standards, which will save more than 4.2 million lbs of CO2.