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IMAGINE a journey from the airport to the business center that no longer relies entirely on ground traffic. This potential mobility experience is what Whitesky Aviation and AutoFlight are preparing through a partnership to develop passenger eVTOLs in Indonesia.
The collaboration was marked by the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) by Ari Nurwanda, Chief Commercial Officer of Whitesky Group, and Jia Xie, Senior Vice President of AutoFlight, as the first step in developing eVTOL services relevant to mobility needs in Indonesia.
One of the initial commercial focuses to be explored is premium VIP air taxis, before the service is developed to a broader scale and with broader use cases.
According to Whitesky Group Founder, Denon Prawiraatmadja said recently a new technology will only have a future if it can meet real user needs.
“For customers, the question is simple: will travel be faster, more reliable, and more convenient? If the answer is yes, then technology makes sense,” said Denon Prawiraatmadja.
Whitesky sees the potential for eVTOLs to connect airports with city centers, business districts, tourist destinations, industrial areas, and travel points with high mobility needs.
Whitesky’s experience in flight operations, premium services, heliport infrastructure, and customer network will be combined with AutoFlight’s eVTOL platform to test the most relevant routes and service models for the Indonesian market. However, air taxi services cannot be built simply by expanding the fleet.
Whitesky will prepare departure and arrival points through the development of vertiports, operational procedures, safety systems, technical support, pilot and technician readiness, and integration with national aviation regulations.
“Customers shouldn’t have to worry about the complexity of the technology behind a flight. What they should experience is a safe, seamless, and indeed time-saving experience,” Denon affirmed.
In collaboration with AutoFlight, the planned procurement of up to 60 eVTOLs represents a potential transaction value of CNY 1 billion (approximately IDR2.7 trillion), if all plans are realized according to the stages and agreements of the parties.
The AutoFlight program is part of Whitesky’s eVTOL pipeline, which totals up to 152-units from Asian manufacturers, including 122-units from China and 30-units from Japan.
Whitesky estimates the total business opportunity created by the various phases of eVTOL implementation has the potential to reach approximately IDR7.8 trillion (approximately US$500 million) over a development horizon of approximately 10 years. This estimate represents a long-term growth scenario and not current revenue or effective transaction values.
Whitesky will start with use cases that have clear demand and willingness-to-pay, then use that operational experience to gradually expand eVTOL adoption.
“We’re not looking to impress people with new aircraft. We’re looking to make their journeys better.”
Through this approach, Whitesky Aviation and AutoFlight are preparing eVTOL to evolve from a new technology into a viable mobility service with real commercial value in Indonesia. [traveltext.id]
