The Chinese company Wanfeng is taking over the struggling air taxi manufacturer Volocopter and will continue operations at its current location in Bruchsal near Karlsruhe. Its Austrian subsidiary Diamond Aircraft has restructured the company to reduce costs and focus on obtaining certification for commercial operations.
According to a company spokesperson, 185 employees will continue to be employed. Insolvency administrator Tobias Wahl sees Wanfeng as a strong strategic partner that can further develop Volocopter's existing work. Bin Chen, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Diamond Aircraft Group, also emphasized that the acquisition expands the product portfolio with the Volocity air taxi and future models.
Volocopter, founded in 2011, develops all-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft for urban passenger transport. While initial operations in major cities such as Rome and Osaka are planned, the company still lacks the necessary type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for passenger operations. Financial constraints and a lack of government aid led to the company filing for insolvency at the end of December. The proceedings were officially opened at the beginning of March.
The electric aircraft aviation industry remains under financial pressure. The Bavarian electric aircraft manufacturer Lilium is also currently struggling with financial difficulties and has filed for bankruptcy for the second time.
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