Urban Aeronautics, a hydrogen/electric-powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) developer that recently announced its partnership with the Boeing Company, has now joined forces with Asia's tech-powered urban air mobility service Ascent Flights Global to bring the eVTOL CityHawk to market.

Urban Aeronautics has been building the next generation of flying vehicles since 2001.

With its success in the development of the Cormorant, an unmanned VTOL aircraft built for a variety of military, civil and emergency response missions, Urban Aeronautics is now setting its sights toward the manned civilian market through commuter air taxis and emergency medical services. With the recent announcement of its partnership with the Boeing Company, Urban Aeronautics is now joining forces with Ascent to accelerate the commercialisation of its hydrogen/electric-powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the CityHawk. The CityHawk has a uniquely small footprint, equal to the size of a large SUV, and yet has a seating capacity for up to six passengers. This combination maximises the efficiency of vertiports and increases passenger traffic, laying a foundation for a genuine mass transit solution.

“As we continue to advance on our development and look toward commercial flights within a few years, we are eager to work with Ascent. Thanks to Ascent's unique operational experience, and growing footprint, we are now able to enrich our aircraft design and commercialisation approach, based on direct market insights. With this partnership, Urban Aeronautics can make an aircraft for the customer, with the customer,” says Dr. Rafi Yoeli, CEO of Urban Aeronautics.

Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, founder and CEO of Ascent adds “The partnership with Urban Aeronautics is a great step forward in line with our objective to democratise sustainable urban air mobility. In addition to providing flights by the seat, and our commitment to climate neutrality, partnering with the industry pioneer in low-emission VTOLs brings us one step closer to doing so. We are honoured to bring Urban Aeronautics within our ecosystem."

Ascent is Asia's first technology-powered urban air mobility service that enables users to avail themselves of helicopter flights by the seat today, and eVTOLs in the future, to skip the traffic between activity hubs like international airports, central business districts and popular leisure destinations, to regain control of their time in traffic-congested cities.

This new business model allows users to experience seamless urban mobility through the skies on fuel-efficient flights, from US$150 per seat, a rate up to ten times more affordable than traditional chartering. Despite this innovation, urban air mobility is predicted to become even more affordable and environmentally sustainable with eVTOLs, a less expensive aircraft to produce, maintain and operate, relative to helicopters. Recent studies project that unmanned autonomous air taxi services could bring the price as low as $2 per mile.