Dufour Aerospace and Blueberry Aviation signs long-term partnership, which includes 200-strong order for eVTOL aircraft
Blueberry Aviation will provide marketing advisory and placement support to Dufour Aerospace as part of a new long-term commercial partnership. The company will also acquire 100 Aero2 and 100 Aero3 eVTOL aircraft.
Blueberry Aviation will also be Dufour’s privileged partner for helicopter trade-in and will set up financial tools to fund or lease Dufour products.
Blueberry Aviation boasts 20 years of experience in the commercial aircraft and helicopter markets, and Dufour Aerospace’s technology combines tilted-wing with hybrid energy to give the company an indisputable competitive edge.
The tilt-wing design combines the ability to take off and land vertically like a helicopter with the efficiency and speed of a conventional aircraft, without the constraints and limitations of other eVTOL designs.
The Aero 2 electric-hybrid, remotely piloted aircraft with a payload of 40 kg and a range of 400 km, is due to be certification-ready in 2023 and enter into service in 2024 for surveillance and mapping activities, critical cargo delivery such as blood, vaccines or organs, or public security applications like search and rescue and firefighting.
The Aero3 is pilot operated, has a maximum take-off weight of 2,800kg, a usable weight of 750kg with a cabin for up to eight passengers, a cruise speed of 350 km/h, and a range of 1,020 km.
The aircraft is being designed to meet EASA’s Special Condition for VTOL standards, making use of a hybrid-electric propulsion system to meet the requirements of operators in multiple platforms, due to be certified ready in 2025 and enter into service in 2026.
“Over the past few years, we have screened the emerging eVTOL market and carried out an in-depth analysis of the many existing projects based on sustainability, economic and performance criteria,” said Francois Gautier, Blueberry Aviation’s CEO.
“Dufour’s technology and products are unlike any other VTOL project being currently developed. Dufour’s management team is very driven, and surrounded themselves with a team of skilled professionals with high-end engineering and aviation backgrounds.”
Thomas Pfammatter, Co-founder and CEO of Dufour Aerospace, added: “Dufour Aerospace is pleased that Blueberry sees such great potential in our products and is prepared to commit to them.
“As an aircraft developer and producer, we will benefit enormously from their experience in the market and gain access to an extraordinarily valuable network.”
In January 2022, Dufour Aerospace confirmed Savback Helicopters as a distributor for its Aero3 in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The company has traded helicopters for over 30 years.
When Dufour launched Aero2 in November 2021, it described it as being ‘as versatile as a Swiss Army Knife.’
