- Bristow places firm order for two Volocopter VoloCity eVTOL
aircraft with an option to purchase an additional 78
aircraft
- Bristow and Volocopter will explore eVTOL passenger and
cargo transport services in the U.S. and U.K.
HOUSTON and BRUCHSAL, Germany, Sept. 7,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bristow Group Inc. (NYSE: VTOL),
the leading global provider of innovative and sustainable vertical
flight solutions, and Volocopter, the pioneer of Urban Air Mobility
(UAM), have signed an agreement to explore and develop passenger
and cargo services for electric vertical takeoff and landing
(eVTOL) aircraft in the U.S. and U.K.
As part of this collaboration, Bristow has placed a firm order
for two VoloCity aircraft to be delivered after certification with
an option to purchase a further 78 vehicles in the future. Both
parties will begin immediate cooperation to build a UAM ecosystem
that includes regulatory discussions, infrastructure exploration,
and local partnership building.
The joint development agreement covers the exploration of
commercial, operational, and eVTOL aircraft maintenance services,
including adaptation of the VoloIQ, Volocopter's proprietary
digital platform, to ensure Bristow's efficient future operations.
This collaboration brings forth a wealth of aviation expertise –
Bristow's reliable vertical flight operations and an existing
global service network, as well as Volocopter's dedicated
development and certification of a safe, quiet, and sustainable
eVTOL aircraft.
The eVTOL is a rapidly growing segment of electric aviation.
With no emissions in flight and an ultra-low noise signature, the
addition of the VoloCity to Bristow's operational fleet opens doors
to new routes and service opportunities within urban
environments.
Volocopter expects to receive final certification from the
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2024, while
concurrent certification from the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) could enable the Company to start commercial services in the
U.S. shortly thereafter.
Dave Stepanek, Executive Vice
President, and Chief Transformation Officer for Bristow said:
"Launching this collaborative effort with Volocopter marks a major
milestone in Bristow's effort to usher in a new era of vertical
transportation solutions. Volocopter has taken a pragmatic approach
to certification with a simple and elegant initial aircraft design
and is leading the pack in its efforts to bring their aircraft to
market. We are looking forward to lending our 75+ years of
innovation and expertise in bringing new aircraft into service and
developing new markets side-by-side Volocopter."
Christian Bauer, CFO & CCO of
Volocopter, added: "Our partnership with Bristow and the firm
VoloCity orders received propels us forward as we unlock new
markets. With this collaboration, Volocopter surpassed 500
pre-orders accumulated including nearly 30 firm orders from
reputational partners. I am filled with excitement toward the vast
potential of the U.S. and U.K. markets and looking forward to
working with Bristow's experienced team as we prepare for
operations."
Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure
This press
release contains "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking
statements represent Bristow Group Inc.'s (the "Company") current
expectations or forecasts of future events. Forward-looking
statements generally can be identified by the use of
forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect,"
"intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "project," or
"continue," or other similar words. These statements are made under
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995, reflect management's current views with respect
to future events and therefore are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties, both known and unknown. Without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, such forward-looking statements
include statements regarding the capabilities, development,
certification, marketing, and future operations of Volocopter's
VoloCity eVTOL aircraft, the Company's purchase of aircraft from
Volocopter, and the anticipated benefits of the collaboration
between the Company and Volocopter. The Company's actual results
may vary materially from those anticipated in forward-looking
statements. The Company cautions investors not to place undue
reliance on any forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the
document in which they are made. The Company disclaims any
obligation or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to
any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in the
Company's expectations or any change in events, conditions, or
circumstances on which the forward-looking statement is based that
occur after the date hereof. You should not place undue reliance on
our forward-looking statements because the matters they describe
are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other
unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond our control. Our
forward-looking statements are based on the information currently
available to us and speak only as of the date hereof. New risks and
uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us
to predict these matters or how they may affect us. We have
included important factors in the section entitled "Risk Factors"
in the Company's Transition Report on Form 10-KT for the year ended
December 31, 2022 (the "Transition
Report") which we believe over time, could cause our actual
results, performance, or achievements to differ from the
anticipated results, performance or achievements that are expressed
or implied by our forward-looking statements. You should consider
all risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Transition Report and
in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC"), all of which are accessible on the SEC's
website at www.sec.gov.
About Bristow Group
Bristow Group Inc. is the leading
global provider of innovative and sustainable vertical flight
solutions. Bristow primarily provides aviation services to a broad
base of offshore energy companies and government entities.
Bristow's aviation services include personnel transportation,
search and rescue ("SAR"), medevac, fixed-wing transportation,
uncrewed air systems and ad hoc helicopter services. Bristow
currently has customers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Dutch Caribbean, the Falkland Islands, India, Mexico, the
Netherlands, Nigeria,
Norway, Spain, Suriname, Trinidad, the U.K., and the U.S. To learn
more, visit our website at www.bristowgroup.com.
About Volocopter
Volocopter brings urban air
mobility (UAM) to megacities worldwide. We aim to improve the
quality of life for people in cities by offering a fantastic new
mode of transportation. For that, we create sustainable and
scalable UAM ecosystems with partners in infrastructure and
operations. Volocopter's family of eVTOL aircraft will offer
passengers (VoloCity and VoloRegion) and goods (VoloDrone) swift,
secure, and emission-free connections to their destinations,
supported by VoloIQ, the UAM ecosystem's software platform that
serves as its digital backbone for safe and efficient
operations.
As a pioneer in the UAM industry, Volocopter will launch commercial
services within the next few years. Founded in 2011, the company
employs more than 500 people in Germany and Singapore, has completed over 1,500 successful
public and private test flights, and has diverse investors,
including Geely, NEOM, Mercedes-Benz Group, Intel Capital, and
BlackRock. www.volocopter.com
Bristow Contacts
Investors
Jennifer
Whalen
InvestorRelations@bristowgroup.com
Media
Adam
Morgan
Adam.morgan@bristowgroup.com
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SOURCE Bristow Group