Plana introduction

Plana, founded in July 2021, is a startup developing a hybrid-electric based vertical take-off and landing (HeVTOL) aircraft.

The Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) that Plana is developing aims to reach commercialization by 2028, with the capacity to carry one pilot and 4-6 passengers, fly over a distance of 500 km at a cruising speed of 300 km/h and a maximum speed of 350 km/h, using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 80% compared to conventional helicopters.

At the recent 'Drone Show Korea 2023', Plana showcased the scaled-down airframe of their AAM aircraft for the first time and plans to make flight test of a pure battery-powered subscale demonstrator over this year. Additionally, Plana intends to participate in the K-UAM Grand Challenge project, which is run by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport in Korea (MOLIT). Also, Plana has recently established US offices in Silicon Valley and Irvine, California, USA. The establishment of these offices is to facilitate the FAA certification process of the company's AAM aircraft and expand business into the global markets. The company will also continue to partner with other American companies to expand the ecosystem for its AAM aircraft.

Plana has recruited more than 60 experts with at least five years of experience in related industries, including global aviation OEMs such as Airbus, Collins Aerospace, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), as well as companies with core electric vehicle technologies such as Hyundai Motor, Honda, Mando, Autoliv, and Valeo.

Quality Experience in the Relevant Industry

- With a strong engineering background, 70% of Plana's development workforce holds a master's or doctorate degree.

- Plana has a multinational team with members from Korea, Japan, the United States, Australia, France, Turkey, India, and the United Arab Emirates, reflecting the company's global focus on culture and future business expansion.

- The team at Plana includes engineers with 5+ years of experience from world-class aircraft developers and operators such as Airbus, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Etihad Airways, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Rolls-Royce, and Collins, among others.

- Additionally, lots of experts from vehicle powertrain companies such as Hyundai Motor, Samsung SDI, Tenergy, Honda, and Mando have joined the team at Plana to focus on the electrification and thermal management control systems for their aircraft.

- Plana is building a domestic and international network of advanced air mobility academics, mainly from top engineering schools such as MIT, POSTECH, KAIST, Tokyo University, UC Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon.