Toff Mobility plans to start charter and cargo flights in South Korea using battery-powered aircraft in the second half of next year before expanding into scheduled passenger services in 2026.
"We will open the era of eco-friendly air mobility in 2024," said Toff Mobility CEO Chan-young Jung while publicising his start-up last week. "We plan to start tourism and logistics services in the second half of 2024 and expand services to Ulleung Island, Jeju Island and local airports in 2026."
Chan's comments did not include information on what type of battery-powered aircraft he intends to operate, other than saying they would be EASA certified. However, publicity photographs accompanying the release show him standing in front of a poster of the Velis Electro aircraft developed by Pipistrel, the sustainable aircraft arm of Textron Aviation. Chan is pictured shaking the hand of Pipistrel's president, Gabriel Massey.
Pipistrel says their Velis Electro aircraft is the first ever type certified electric-powered aeroplane, fully approved for pilot training in Day VFR operations. Type certification for the slightly large four-seat Panthera is also reportedly underway.
Korean media reports say Chan has over 6,000 hours of aviation industry experience, albeit most of that working as a flight attendant. He has also accumulated some experience as a pilot and has worked in the unmanned air mobility sector for approximately three years.
