While the potential for AAM aircraft to be leveraged for urban air taxi services is a significant locus of activity across this burgeoning domain, emerging providers are also seeking to capture interest from the customer base traditionally associated with the business jet market. Though by no means exclusively dedicated to this segment, XTI Aerospace offers one such case, with its unique Trifan 600 platform offering a distinct suite of performance capabilities from many other market entrants.
The Trifan 600 features three ducted fans, facilitating vertical takeoff and forward flight, harnessing dual turboshaft engines utilizing sustainable aviation fuels. Later evolutions of the 600 design are envisioned as integrating hybrid-electric propulsion solutions. The platform seats six passengers and a single pilot. The aircraft can travel at speeds of nearly 350 mph, with a well above average stated max range of 770 miles without cargo and 660 miles at max capacity. XTI correspondingly designates the 600 as a ‘Vertical Lift Crossover Airplane (VLCA)’, a platform that is intended to bridge the operational gap between traditional aircraft and eVTOL solutions.
In early 2024, XTI Aerospace became a publicly listed company in the United States. Not long thereafter, the company announced plans to partner with AVX Aircraft Company to pursue development work on the 600 series and received both investment and a conditional offer for 100 aircraft from U.S regional carrier Mesa Airlines.
