Blade makes three European acquisitions

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Blade Air Mobility is acquiring the asset-light commercial passenger transport activities of three urban air mobility operators in Europe as it eyes expansion in the continent. The operators are Monacair SAM, Héli Sécurité and a southern France-based helicopter operator.

Blade will also develop passenger terminals at multiple airports and vertiports in France, Monaco and Switzerland used by the three operators.

Damien Mazaudier, Monacair’s CEO, will join Blade Europe’s executive director, Sabrina Barbera, and Blade Europe’s executive vice president of Business Development, Anne-Pascale Guedon, overseeing the transition of the passenger businesses to Blade.

 Rob Wiesenthal, CEO, Blade said: “These three acquisitions are core to our strategy of leveraging our asset-light model to aggregate the premier use cases for urban air mobility. As a result, Blade has now amassed what we believe to be the most valuable routes in the world. Adding this formidable presence in Europe to our existing operations across the greater New York area, Vancouver and India, is a critical step in our expansion.”

Marco Casiraghi, co-founder, Monacair, said: “Blade’s powerful global platform, technology and brand together with Monacair’s strong operating history, aircraft management business, strategic infrastructure and customer trust is an unbeatable combination that will amplify urban air mobility in Europe. On behalf of the Casiraghi family, we fully support and look forward to the European launch of Blade’s commercial services commencing this month with the Monaco Grand Prix.

Blade’s President, Melissa Tomkiel, added, “Blade continues to cement its position as the world’s leader in urban air mobility with the addition of these routes in Southern France, Monaco, Italy and Switzerland, which, given the geography, short distances and large addressable markets serve as the perfect first-use cases for quiet and emission-free EVA. Our European expansion would not be possible without these trusted operating partners who have safely and profitably flown hundreds of thousands of fliers for over 30 years.”