eVTOL company AutoFlight has signed a deal to supply over 200 battery-powered aircraft for service in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
The company has entered into a contract with EVFLY to supply the electric Vertical Take Off and Landing aircraft following the success of its recent record breaking 250km all-electric flight.
The agreement demonstrates AutoFlight’s commitment to the Middle East region which both parties believe could be a trailblazer for eVTOL services. The deal sees EVFLY initially purchase 205 Prosperity I and Prosperity Cargo Aircraft, with EVFLY operating the first 10 AutoFlight Cargo aircraft in the Middle East, in highly promising markets such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with subsequent deployments in Asia and Africa.
“This is a fantastic deal and illustrates just a few of the many geographies that will benefit from eVTOLs in both cargo and personal mobility,” said AutoFlight’s president Omer Bay-Yohay. “The team at EVFLY has a proven track record in successfully managing freight and cargo businesses and we’re delighted to be partnering with them in what could be one of the first commercial eVTOL operations in the world.”
The partnership is underpinned by EVFLY’s comprehensive fleet management service which integrates the latest technology for eVTOL maintenance and operational efficiency. This will provide a unique solution for companies wishing to use eVTOL for commercial or private purposes.
“AutoFlight has a proven aircraft, as demonstrated by their world record flight and thousands of additional flight test miles,” said Yannick Erbs, EVFLY’s founder and CEO. “They are a natural choice for EVFLY, as both parties will bring expertise to the nascent eVTOL cargo and passenger markets.”
The agreement follows AutoFlight’s achievement of the world’s longest eVTOL flight in history with distance of 250KM / 155 miles on a single charge of the aircraft’s lithium-ion batteries.
The flight, which took place at AutoFlight’s eVTOL testing facility on February 23 consisted of 20 circuits on a predefined flight track, with the plane remotely piloted from the ground by AutoFlight’s Flight Test team. Interestingly, while AutoFlight’s Gen4 aircraft is fitted with the latest in state-of-the-art avionics, the aircraft also ran third-party avionics to record and verify the distance flown on ForeFlight, an independent system widely used in the aviation sector.
AutoFlight uses its experience with artificial intelligence, 5G, breakthrough materials, and advanced manufacturing in the drone market to drive developments in the eVTOL industry. The company has a diversified eVTOL product mix, focusing on large-scale logistics aircraft and passenger aerial vehicles.
