For now it is the prototype, but it is already an important milestone. The new generation light aircraft, electrically powered and with vertical landing and take-off (eVTOL) will be built and tested in Campania: it can be used for the transport of goods and people. To this end, a memorandum of understanding was signed between GESAC, the management company of the airports of Naples and Salerno, and the Aerospace District of Campania.
This is an agreement to ensure that experimental tests of a new generation electric vehicle prototype, with vertical take-off and landing, can be carried out at the airport under construction in Salerno, in order to lighten the transport of goods and people in urban and peri-urban areas.
GESAC will provide the necessary support for the introduction of the new type of mobility, addressing issues relating to service authorizations and regulations, flight conduct methods, assessment of demand on specific traffic routes such as the Salerno-Capri route. At Dac, the task of coordinating research and the creation of the prototype. The DAC therefore makes available the know-how of a group of companies to carry out the DIVA project (DIstruptive Vertical high density thrust HDT Autoplane), i.e. the construction of an electric aircraft with vertical take-off and landing, with 4 seats, capable of flying at a maximum speed of 100 km per hour and at a maximum height of 500 metres.
From the Campania Region 1.7 million
The Dac won a competitive tender from the Campania Region worth 1 million and 700 thousand euros, companies compete for about 30 percent with their resources. And it’s not a helicopter because it has no exposed propellers and is therefore safer in built-up areas. It is equipped with internal rotors and therefore, having no external propellers, it is safer and less impacting from an acoustic point of view. Its high thrust density does not require ground effect like hovercrafts. Basically it will be an “autoplane” with a relatively small diameter engine body and therefore perfectly integrated within a typical car body.
Capodichino returns to 11 million travellers
The presentation of the project was also an opportunity to present new data on passenger traffic at the Naples airport. Capodichino in fact will close 2022 with a traffic of about 11 million passengers which brings the Neapolitan airport back to the values of 2019. Roberto Barbieri, CEO of Gesac spoke about it. «An unexpected result – underlined Barbieri – with which we will close a brilliant year from the point of view of growth, with 106 destinations, 92 of which are international, and we play, as the Bank of Italy report on the Campania economy highlights, an important role in the growth regional economy”. Barbieri also anticipated that from 2023 new take-off and landing routes will be activated which will allow 4 minutes of flight savings over the city and inhabited areas with less 11 tons of CO2 and 50 less flight hours. Capodichino airport is making “substantial investments” in green and sustainability. «The creation of a photovoltaic system – highlighted Barbieri – will give us an important energy autonomy. Furthermore, through the planting of thousands of trees, in the areas adjacent to the airport, we will make a contribution to sustainability as well as through the electrification of all vehicles that move in the airport”.