Eve Air Mobility, an urban air mobility company founded by Embraer, has signed an MoU with Saudi carrier flynas to explore the future of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations in the kingdom.
The two entities will consider the possibility of starting eVTOL operations in Riyadh and Jeddah by 2026.
“We are pleased to explore the sustainable solutions with Eve Air Mobility as a pioneering company in this field, in line with flynas’ strategy to adopt initiatives with sustainable impact on the environment, society, and economy in parallel with the national goals to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions by 2060,” said Bander Almohanna, CEO and managing director of flynas.
Although an image has been released of what a flynas eVTOL aircraft could look like, details of its capacity, range, speed and production numbers weren’t immediately made available.
“This partnership represents not only a milestone in our shared vision for sustainable air travel but also a commitment to shaping a more efficient, eco-friendly and accessible transportation landscape,” noted Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve.
Elsewhere in the kingdom, two years ago, NEOM signed an MoU with Volocopter, to establish a joint venture company to design, implement, and operate the world’s first bespoke public vertical mobility system in NEOM. At the time, NEOM placed a confirmed order for 15 Volocopter aircraft.
NEOM and Volocopter to create world’s first bespoke public eVTOL system
Meanwhile in Dubai, Spanish company Crisalion which began testing its zero emission eVTOL vehicle Integrity in 2019 in northern Spain, now aims to introduce them to Dubai due to a new partnership with UAE firm Valtrans Transportation Systems and Services.