Wisk Aero Launches Montreal Hub

Wisk Aero, the San Francisco-based pilotless eVTOL air taxi developer, is expanding its operations into Canada.

The company plans to launch a new engineering hub in Montreal, Canada, to develop its sixth-generation aircraft.

“We are excited about the launch of our new Montreal hub,” said Sebastien Vigneron, Sr. Vice President of Engineering and Programs, adding that Canada, as a great talent pool for the aviation industry with its forward-looking approach to aviation and interest in AAM, serves as an ideal location for Wisk to expand its business.

Launching its hub with existing Montreal-based personnel, the company says it plans to grow the new facility to 30 employees by the end of 2022, as part of a broader effort to further expand its global team of industry-leading talent around the world.

As the developer of the first all-electric and self-flying air taxi in the US, Wisk has been experiencing rapid growth, driven by a tremendous increase in interest for its mission and technology.

“This expansion highlights the increasing global interest in our mission to bring safe, everyday flight to everyone, and we look forward to continuing that mission with support from our new Montreal-based hub,” Vigneron said.

The announcement of the new Montreal hub follows Wisk’s recent expansion into Australia. In addition to Montreal and its headquarters and facilities around the San Francisco Bay Area, Wisk now has a presence in Atlanta (Georgia), New Zealand, and Australia.

The company, which is a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corporation, believes that autonomous operations will provide the cost structure needed to make eVTOL air taxi services commercially viable.

The fifth-generation prototype is 6.4 meters long and is equipped with 12 independent rotors, which means that the aircraft can continue to operate even if one of the rotors malfunctions. Its current top speed reaches 160 kilometers per hour and it can handle short-distance flights of up to 40 km on a single charge.

Details about the newest-generation version and its improved capabilities are expected to be released later this year.