JAKARTA - Eve, an electric aircraft manufacturer, and Blade Air Mobility, a airline service company, are expanding their partnership to integrate Eve's upcoming flying car to the Blade route network in Europe, starting with France, the two companies said in a statement on Monday, June 19.
The deal follows a similar agreement between the two companies, which are currently participating in Paris Airshow, to use Eve's vertical electric take-off and landing vehicle (eVTOL) in India and the United States.
Eve is controlled by Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer and plans to start commercial operations of its vehicles by 2026.
Eve and Blade stated in their statement that in their new memorandum of understanding, Blade will focus on developing practical applications for air mobility, including identifying future routes in France and other European countries.
However, they did not say whether this deal would involve the purchase of a new eVTOL by Blade, which currently operates conventional helicopters between Nice and Monaco in its operations in Europe.
Eve and Blade last year agreed to use up to 200 electric planes in India, after also signing a letter of intent for operations in the United States, where Eve plans to provide up to 60 vehicles per year.
"The extension of our partnership with Eve affirms Blade' commitment to leading the transition from conventional vertical to electric aircraft," said Blade CEO Rob Wiesenthal.
Eve had an order backlog of nearly 2,800 orders before starting production, with the development supported by investors like United Airlines and Rolls-Royce.
The company recently announced its first supplier of equipment for their eVTOL and plans to begin construction of its first full-sized prototype in the second half of this year. Additional testing is planned for 2024.
Eve's CEO, Andre Stein, said he hoped the expanded partnership with Blade would allow the two companies to combine expertise and resources to make travel more accessible and encourage environmental improvement.
Blade last year acquired chartered and scheduled flight operations from European companies Monacair, Heli Securite, and Azur Helicoptere, which are said to be "important" for ongoing technical and commercial talks with Eve.
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