Eve Urban Air Mobility, an Embraer spinoff, and Microflite, one of Australia’s premier helicopter operators, announced a partnership that will lay the foundation for urban air mobility operations in Australia that is expected to start in 2026.
Microflite and Eve plan to begin the partnership using helicopters, where appropriate, as a proof of concept to validate parameters that will apply to future electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations, also known in the market as EVA (Electrical Vertical Aircraft). This partnership also aims to develop new services and procedures that will create a safe and scalable operating environment for EVA operations together with communities and other industry stakeholders.
Microflite has worked with Eve since 2019 by contributing to the Concept of Operations developed jointly between Eve and Airservices Australia. This work laid the foundation for exploring new and practical concepts to safely facilitate the introduction of air taxis using Melbourne, Australia.
“This partnership is an exciting development for Microflite. Australia needs a post-Covid lift and what better way to do that than by developing high-tech and low carbon jobs that support transport, tourism, and the vibrancy of this wonderful country. Microflite will work closely with Eve and its partners to evaluate the best path to bring this innovative service to customers,” said Jonathan Booth, CEO of Microflite.
“Our partnership with Microflite allows Eve to inject innovation and new mobility solutions within the Australian market. We can deliver a comprehensive solution, including maintenance services and air traffic management, getting ready to introduce our aircraft to Australia, while benefiting from Microflite’s extensive local operational experience,” said Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve Urban Air Mobility.