E-commerce is growing rapidly.
The new basis for competition is speed.
We provide aircraft and software systems to ensure your success with same-day e-commerce logistics.
E-commerce is growing rapidly.
The new basis for competition is speed.
We provide aircraft and software systems to ensure your success with same-day e-commerce logistics.
Airflow is building the first electric Short Take-Off and Landing (eSTOL) aircraft designed for sustainable same-day e-commerce.
Airflow’s eSTOL aircraft can move cargo quickly and cost-effectively by flying over traffic.
Logistics and e-commerce companies can:
The logistics industry is undergoing unprecedented changes. In order to support same-day and next-day e-commerce shipments, the industry is moving from a central hub and spoke model to a regional distribution model.
Airflow’s aircraft and services provide for the rapid movement of goods throughout a region, enabling widely expanded and low-cost same-day delivery.
The need for rapid middle-mile logistics is growing due to e-commerce growth and increasing road congestion. The current model is very inefficient because lots of inventory must be stocked close-in to cities in hundreds of delivery centers to allow for same-day delivery. This drives high inventory carrying costs and limits what can be offered to consumers.
A solution is to store inventory in regional warehouses and then move inventory to last-mile delivery centers quickly and inexpensively. Airflow provides that solution.
Airflow offers the first aerial logistics service that can move cargo directly between regional warehouses and delivery centers without the use of traditional airports.
Conventional aircraft need airports with runways that are thousands of feet long. Airflow eSTOL aircraft require only a few hundred feet for takeoff and landing (about the length of a football field). That means runways can be built almost anywhere, at regional distribution centers and local delivery centers using existing regulations.
Our solution is simple: use aircraft to move goods rather than stuffing delivery centers full of inventory. With Airflow, goods can be stocked in large regional distribution centers and quickly moved to smaller delivery centers for last-mile delivery.
Other use cases include rural delivery, medical supplies to remote areas, disaster relief, and military applications.
The graphic shows the diversity of areas that are part of the Airflow network: airports, regional distribution centers, local delivery centers, and remote areas. Avoiding intermediate transfer steps through sorting centers or airports reduces time and cost.
The opportunity to switch to electric aviation is transformative. Electric propulsion not only reduces carbon emissions, it allows aircraft designers to develop new types of aircraft that expand the benefits of aviation.
The need for sustainability is Planely Clear.
We can reduce the amount of CO2 emissions. We estimate that each of our aircraft can save 632,000 lbs of CO2 annually instead of using trucks. Our state-of-the art engineering and manufacturing facilities exceed the highest LEED standards and will save over 4.2 million lbs of CO2.
Started by five former Airbus Vahana team members with over 60 years of aerospace experience, Airflow's mission is to expand the benefits of aviation and bring new capabilities to the industry.
The founding team’s background includes companies like Airbus, Eclipse Aviation, Northrop Grumman, Uber Elevate, Airware, and Scaled Composites. Most recently, the team worked together on the successful Airbus Vahana eVTOL program.
Airflow is developing the technology to deliver a commercially viable solution based on proven principles. The three key technology enablers are shown below.
DEP enables operations into and out of very short runways by providing more control at slower airspeeds.
A pilot assistance system that provides safe, repeatable landings on very short runways. It reduces pilot workload and increases safety.
Allows operators to manage aircraft in real-time and integrates fleet data into scheduling and ERP systems.
Developed with an eye towards future autonomy, the Airflow eSTOL aircraft carries a pilot with 500 lbs of time-sensitive cargo and can operate on short runways.
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