Twente, Netherlands. 02 December 2023. Flyv (Flyvbird) and Twente Airport in The Netherlands have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore how Twente can be better connected to other European airports using flyv’s on-demand air taxi services. The parties will work together to determine standards and ground operations for the network Flyv wants to develop in this growing market segment.
flyv is seeking to make much better use of and connect smaller airports in the more rural areas of Europe. In a few years, major growth is anticipated in the demand and use of small clean and quiet electric aircraft that can cover distances between 100 to 900 kilometers. This is an attractive market segment for on demand-driven airline products that can move passengers quickly, sustainably, with short turnaround times and at competitive rates. Through the app, you can order a flight and flyvbird will plan its network according to customer requests. It is only a matter of time before this becomes a reality. Twente Airport and flyv want to serve this market and are now preparing for it.
Lessons learned at Twente Airport will be scalable to other airfields
As an established regional airport used to on-demand charter operations, Twente Airport is well positioned to help enable new sustainable on demand transport services. This places demands on ground operations, such as processing passenger flows, filling/loading of aircraft and setting up aircraft maintenance. Lessons learned at Twente Airport will be scalable to other airfields.
Tomislav Lang – Founder at flyvbird commented. “We are delighted to add Twente Airport as a forward-thinking, progressive new regional airport partner. Flyv can help local businesses in the Twente and Overijssel region explore opportunities for conventional flight connections to Germany, France, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. It has a catchment area of some three million people.”
Next-gen aircraft need committed operators
“Twente Airport management is enthusiastic about next gen commuterliner, electric and eVTOL programmes, but just as important as the OEMs designing and building them are the pioneering operators which are committing to fly them,” said Gerben Groothuis, eFlight Business Development Manager at Twente Airport. “It is also smart to start setting up this on-demand service with existing smaller fossil-powered aircraft to start with, while electric aircraft are being developed. We’ll be able to practice at Twente Airport with existing aircraft to try out the service, so that in a few years the switch to next gen clean aircraft can be made smoothly.”
flyv will establish its own Air Operator Certificate (AOC) and aims to have established a core network within Europe by the end of 2024 and first flights to commence in 2025, initially with the robust STOL-performance Tecnam P2012 Traveller which will operate out of Twente Airport.
Then it will move into the hybrid electric Electra and ultimately the all-electric Eviation Alice aircraft. Starting initially with four Tecnam P2012 Travellers, flyv plans to grow its fleet up to 50-plus low-cost and reduced-emissions aircraft in the next decade, which it will adapt in line with customer demand. In October it signed a Letter of Intent with Eviation in the US to take 25 all-electric Alice aircraft, complementing the Electra.aero hybrid aircraft commuterliner for which a pre order of 50+ aircraft was made in 2022.
