Blade Enters into Alliance with magniX for the Electrification of Lima’s Amphibious Seaplanes for Urban Air Mobility Flights on Key Blade Routes
On May 27, Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc. announced an alliance whereby magniX USA Inc. (“magniX”) will supply its Electric Propulsion Units (“EPU”) to Lima NY Corp. (“Lima”), one of Blade’s largest aircraft operating partners, for the conversion of Lima’s Blade-branded fleet of amphibious Cessna Caravans to all-electric aircraft starting in early 2023, subject to certain conditions.
Blade is the exclusive platform for Lima flights offered to the public. Key routes include flights between the Blade Aqua Lounge at the East 23rd Street seaplane base in New York City, the eastern end of Long Island, New York, and the Blade Terminal in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Based on current estimates, the all-electric Caravans will operate emission-free at the same speed as the current generation turbine Caravans, with a significantly reduced noise footprint and lower operating costs.
As part of the alliance, Lima will be the exclusive owner in the northeast United States of the supplemental type certificate (“STC”) for the conversion of the Caravan’s current generation turbine engine to the magniX EPU.
Blade President Melissa Tomkiel said, “Amphibious seaplane service has always been an essential part of our urban air mobility strategy, given the aircraft’s unique ability to access city centers through conveniently located waterways, such as Manhattan’s East River, as well as traditional airports. The electrification of our accessible fleet of Blade-branded aircraft, made possible through our alliance with magniX and Lima, one of our key operating partners, will further accelerate our transition to quiet, emission-free flight, allowing us to reduce the environmental and sound impact in and around the communities where we fly.”
“Partnering with Blade and Lima to bring electric aviation to one of the largest cities, and highly populated regions in the United States, is an incredible proof point to the value of offering communities zero emissions, reduced noise, and lower operating costs,” said magniX CEO Roei Ganzarski. “With electric propulsion as our cornerstone, magniX continues to build toward the new electric age of aviation.”
Blade’s alliance with magniX and Lima comes on the heels of a recent agreement for Blade to secure up to 20 BETA Technologies’ ALIA Electric Vertical Aircraft (“EVA”) on behalf of Blade’s network of operators with scheduled delivery beginning in late 2024, and arrangements for Wisk Aero LLC, a joint venture between Boeing and Larry Page-backed Kitty Hawk, to own, operate and maintain up to 30 EVA for exclusive use across Blade’s U.S. route network.
The alliance among Blade, magniX, and Lima described in this press release is subject to the Federal Aviation Administration’s anticipated approval of the STC and the parties entering into further agreements.
