Plana, a South Korea-based developer of hybrid eVTOL aircraft, has signed a LoI and MoU with commercial air carrier Hi-Air to supply 30 CP-01 hybrid-electric AAM aircraft from 2030. The first 10 aircraft will be delivered in 2031, with the remaining 20 to follow later.

Plana has also held LoIs with Ghenus Air in the US and SkyTaxi in Japan to supply 20 and 50 aircraft respectively since last year.

Hi-Air is South Korea's leading air operator licence holder for small-scale air transport services. The company was founded in 2019 and started operations from Ulsan airport. Hi-Air currently operates flights to Gimpo, Muan, Suncheon and Jeju. In 2022, it became the first commercial air carrier in South Korea to reach 500,000 cumulative passengers, and recently launched a new route between Muan and Kitakyushu, Japan.

Under the MoU, Plana and Hi-Air will jointly develop business models for passenger and cargo transportation by leveraging their respective expertise in aircraft operation and development.

“We are excited to partner with Hi-Air, a leading small-scale air operator in South Korea,” says Plana CPO Jinmo Lee. “This partnership will help us to strengthen our position in the AAM market and contribute to the development of the South Korean air mobility industry.”

“We are confident that this partnership will help us pioneer a new era of air mobility in South Korea,” adds Hi-Air CEO Joseph Kim. “We will combine Plana's technology and Hi-Air's expertise to create a new air mobility market.”