Airbus sets up new Urban Air Mobility unit and appoints lead
Airbus says it is ramping up its city transport activities. It has appointed Eduardo Dominguez Puerta as Head of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), a new Airbus unit, effective 1 June…
Airbus says it is ramping up its city transport activities. It has appointed Eduardo Dominguez Puerta as Head of Urban Air Mobility (UAM), a new Airbus unit, effective 1 June 2018.
In his new function, Puerta will report to Patrick de Castelbajac, Executive Vice President Strategy and International.
Integrating activities
With this appointment, Airbus is integrating all its UAM activities – except its current air vehicle projects – through the set-up of a new unit to foster coordination for internal as well as external parties such as certification authorities, customers, partners and suppliers.
Based in Munich, the UAM unit will be close to the Corporate Technology Office and Unmanned Aerial Systems in Ottobrunn as well as the company’s helicopter plant in Donauwörth.
Currently ongoing vehicle projects will remain in their respective business units and will now be coordinated by the UAM unit. These include
- CityAirbus, an electrically-powered Vertical Take-off and Landing air vehicle demonstrator (eVTOL), developed by Airbus Helicopters;
- Vahana, a self-piloted eVTOL small passenger aircraft, developed by A3, the company’s US-based Innovation Centre in Silicon Valley;
- VOOM, the world’s premier on-demand helicopter booking platform.
Gearing up
Tom Enders, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus, said: “After a two-year exploratory phase we now need to gear up, build partnerships with various stakeholders, including air safety agencies, and define and conduct pilot projects. While we continue our vehicle projects, the new unit will be platform-agnostic and open for cooperation with other vehicle manufacturers.”
He added: “Eduardo with his broad experience is the right person to lead us into the new phase.”
Eduardo Dominguez Puerta joined Airbus in 2002 and has held various operational management positions including overseeing supplier development and lean management. Before heading New Business Strategy at Airbus, Eduardo Dominguez Puerta was instrumental in setting up operations of A3where he served as Chief Operating Officer. He received a Master’s Degree in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Pontificia de Comillas in Spain in 2002.
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