Contributor - UK

Kate Sarsfield

German app-based, on-demand air taxi start-up Flyvbird is preparing to launch services at the end of 2024 with the first of four Tecnam P2012 Travellers on order. The start-up expects the business to grow exponentially over the coming years with a mixed fleet of up to 500 low-cost and reduced-emissions aircraft envisaged by the end of the next decade to service a growing international network.
Flyvbird has joined forces with Italian airframer Tecnam to develop the operation, dubbed Flyv, which will provide air services with the 1,700-nm range of the Traveller piston-twin, to small rural and secondary airports around Europe. It will use an app booking system and scheduling platform based on what Flyvbird founder Tomislav Lang calls an “innovative algorithmic approach designed to deliver an alternative to traditional transportation models.”
Using its proprietary FlyvAI algorithm, the company says its platform will optimize the daily flight schedule based on paid bookings and operational constraints. It will also provide a guaranteed fixed travel timeframe at the booking stage. “We are not reinventing anything, just making things better for the market by letting the customer choose when and where to fly,” said Lang.
The nine-passenger Traveller is “an ideal fit” for Flyv, Lang maintained, due to its very low operating costs, fuel efficiency, and versatility. “We will start with the Lycoming-[TEO-540C1A]-powered Traveller...as the Continental [GTSIO-520S]-powered short take-off and landing variant does not have an [electronic engine control],” he explained.
Similarly, the company is eyeing possible new alternatives for its fleet, including the hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft being developed by U.S.-based start-up Electra, which is targeting entry into service in 2028. “It is vital that we get the aircraft selection right and if the Electra does not come to market on schedule, we will stick with the Traveller,” said Lang.
As an aviation industry veteran with 23 years of experience—including having been the owner and managing director of now-defunct Swiss regional airline SkyWork—Lang is confident he has what it takes to launch this new service in a very competitive field. “With my pedigree, I have learned all the flaws of this business. I have the right partners and team in place, and together we have taken our time to evaluate the model and make it feasible,” said Lang. “It’s all about getting you from A to B as quickly, conveniently, and cheaply as possible using a network of small local airports,” said Lang.
Germany is likely to be the launch country for Flyv with a core network of airports—Brunswick, Monchengladbach, Munster, Friedrichshafen, and Stuttgart—already determined. From this starting point, Lang hopes to expand flights to around 30 other airports. “It’s like planting a seed and then growing from the center,” he said.
Within two years, Flyv plans to expand into the neighboring European countries, with the locations driven by customer demand. “With a German AOC [air operator certificate], we can cover any routes in the European Union. If we want to operate within the UK and Switzerland [non-EU countries] a separate AOC will be needed, or we could establish partnerships with existing operators,” Lang explained.
In about 10 years, the company expects to&nbsp;be operating a fleet of up to 150 aircraft across the continent. “It is a worldwide scalable product and if we do this right, we could be operating 500 aircraft globally before the end of the next decade,” Lang suggested.

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