Australian helicopter operator Microflite is partnering with Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions to work on plans for air taxi services in the country. The companies plan to start their alliance by using helicopters to kick-start services before the Embraer subsidiary's new Electrical Vertical Aircraft (EVA) is certified for commercial operations in 2026.
In a September 2 announcement, the companies said they will jointly develop new services and procedures for creating a safe and scalable operating environment for EVA operations together with communities and other industry stakeholders. Microflite, which operates a mixed fleet of 19 helicopters, has indicated a willingness to work with multiple electric aircraft manufacturers.
Microflite, which is based in Victoria state, has worked with Eve since 2019 by contributing to the concept of 0perations (Conops) developed jointly between Eve and Airservices Australia. That work laid the foundation for exploring new concepts to allow for the introduction of air taxis in Melbourne.
“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,” said Microflite CEO Jonathan Booth. “Microflite will work closely with Eve and its partners to evaluate the best path to bring this innovative service to customers.”
The partnership with Microflite marks just the latest collaboration for Eve, which on August 30 said it has started cooperating with commercial partners and government entities to develop a Conops for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) in Rio de Janeiro. In a statement, Eve said the project’s first test will happen by the end of the year in the Brazilian city, using conventional helicopters to simulate Eve’s planned four-passenger eVTOL aircraft, which the company expects to begin commercial service in 2026.
Just a week earlier, Eve announced it would provide rideshare booking platform Ascent with up to 100,000 flight hours in its planned four-passenger eVTOL aircraft, also beginning in 2026. The Embraer subsidiary said that it intends to deploy up to around 100 copies of the EVA to unnamed operating partners in the Asia-Pacific region. It also has another similar partnership with rotorcraft operator Helisul Aviation in Brazil.
On August 30, Microflite announced a separate partnership with Melbourne-based ground infrastructure developer Skyportz. The companies said they plan to evaluate multiple new electric aircraft types and provide support to prospective air taxi operators looking to launch services in Australia.
Eve is already working with another ground infrastructure group called Skyports and several other partners on its plans to develop an ecosystem for advanced air mobility services.
