BTiQ continues its series with the business travel start-ups at this year's Business Travel Show Launchpad zone. This time we hear from Norbert Werle, CEO of Air2E.
When were you launched?
Air2E was founded on 13th September 2017 and our airline partner Franconia Air Service launched in Germany on 6th January 2016 as the country's first fully certified piston aircraft airline.
How many people are working for the company?
Air2E has four founders and the airline has 12 people in operations.
Sum up what your company/product does in one sentence
Air2E is Europe's first CO2-neutral airline providing individual time-saving air-travel to corporate clients in Europe through on-demand and scheduled flights with efficient business aircrafts.
Why is it unique?
Air2E changes air travel from a stressful experience of wasting time at overcrowded airports, cramped in large "air-busses" to an individual, cost-efficient tool for our business clients. Imagine a flight within Europe to be as easy, pleasurable and flexible as a taxi ride in your city.
The aim is to be the 'Uber' or 'Netflix' of air travel due to our disruptive model within the travel industry. We bridge the gap between inflexible commercial airline companies and expensive, luxurious private charter and jet companies. Combining the advantages of both by providing on the one hand scheduled flights where can choose from available flights as well as on demand flights like an air-taxi. The efficient business aircrafts allow our clients to fly at an economy budget with no more than seven other passengers, like-minded travellers.
What problem does it solve?
Most business customers value the independence and flexibility of a car and seldom use busses, but as soon as the distance gets too far, an "air-bus" is chosen.
Air2E uses the existing infrastructure of small regional airports and efficient business aircraft to get customers more time-efficient and stress-free to their next meeting.
If a commuter or traveller regularly drives longer distances or flies commercial with one stopover, an individual flight with Air2E will provide a seamless travel experience and save up to hours of time, thereby being at an economy travel budget.
What platforms is it available on/can integrate with?
Currently a network of scheduled services is being established and such flights will be available within all current booking platforms and systems as well as through direct booking on our website. Additionally, based on the demand of our corporate clients we build individual routes for those clients and also operate as an on-demand air-taxi that can be called anytime already today.
What markets is it available in?
Currently we fly all over Europe.
Which companies are using it already?
Air2E customers are frequent fliers and often identify as entrepreneurs, consultants and business executives of various medium to large size companies, as well as musicians or leisure travellers.
What do travel managers/companies like about it?
- Individual solutions customised to their needs
- Direct connection of corporate locations like headquarter and subsidiary
- Higher productivity of employees
- Usage of reginal airports usually around the corner of their company and destination
- No more missed flight connections or wasted time at large airports
Why do travellers like it?
- Efficient usage of time
- Personal treatment by our crew
- Stress-free travel
- Great view out of our large windows
What are your growth plans?
Within the next two years we will grow our fleet of airplanes to utilise the additional efficiencies of a distributed network.
As soon as electrical airplanes with medium range are certified and commercially available, we intend to use the additional order of magnitude of efficiency to lower prices, providing individual air-traffic to even more people. Once autonomous flight is possible with the required safety, autonomous, individual, electric flights will allow fast medium distance air-travel at a margin of today's price. A real 10X improvement in the travel sector.