Brazilian jet-builder Embraer S.A., through its subsidiary Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions Inc., plans to deploy up to 60 eVTOL aircraft for service in Southern Florida and West Coast markets through an agreement with Blade Air Mobility Inc. Blade is an “asset-light” urban air taxi service that today uses helicopters and amphibious aircraft to provide transportation as an alternative to congested ground routes in the U.S. and overseas.
Specifically, Eve agreed to provide Blade with up to 60,000 hours of flight time per year on its electrical vertical takeoff landing (eVTOL) aircraft, beginning in 2026.
“Eve’s aircraft provides ideal operating economics for Blade’s shorter distance routes, adding to our three other, recently announced EVA partnerships which, together, can optimize service for Blade’s wide variety of mission profiles and regional hubs,” according to Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade.
The Blade service is focused on its “exclusive passenger terminal infrastructure” that it maintains will facilitate a transition to electrical vertical takeoff/landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
Embraer’s Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions is developing an electric vertical aircraft (EVA, a/k/a eVTOL) together with a global services and support network, and an air-traffic management technology.
Eve conducted the first flight of the engineering simulator for its “zero-emission and low-noise” EVA/eVTOL in July 2020, and it presented its proof of concept in October 2020.
Eve’s Urban Air Traffic Management project is collaborating with the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority to develop a scalable environment needed to host urban air mobility flights.
According to Eve’s announcement, it will deploy up to 60 aircraft for Blade’s use throughout the United States beginning in 2026. Blade will pay for flight time used on Eve’s aircraft, which will be made available by Eve and other third-parties. (The deployment of Eve aircraft across the Blade network is subject to definitive final agreements, Embraer noted.)
“Blade is aligned with our mission as they have created a platform that provides the user seamless access to urban air mobility, and now with Eve to provide an experience that is quiet and without emissions. The company’s platform will be instrumental in deploying our aircraft in key markets in South Florida and the West Coast of the United States,” said Eve president and CEO Andre Stein.
