Eve Air Mobility is to begin an urban air mobility simulation in Brazil, using helicopters to connect Rio de Janeiro suburb Barra da Tijuca to the city's Tom Jobim International airport RIOgaleão.

The evaluation of the entire UAM ecosystem and the main concepts related to future operations will last a month. There will be six daily flights offered at a more affordable cost than a conventional helicopter service, based on those expected for the all-electric EVA aircraft that should enter into service in 2026.

Tickets for flights went on sale via on demand platform Flapper. The aircraft will be operated by Helisul Aviacao and Universal Aviation will run ground operations. Airport concessionaire RIOgaleão and the Mario Henrique Simonsen Business Center house the take off and landing sites.

“Eve's human-centred approach to development seeks practical validation of concepts and assumptions that will help us understand and address the key challenges associated with delivering the service,” says Eve CEO André Stein. “Rio de Janeiro is one of the cities with the worst traffic in the world, and the simulation will help us to survey the real needs of users, partners and the community who will benefit from our mobility solutions.”

The simulation is part of a concept of operation started in August 2021 in Rio de Janeiro, aiming to integrate urban air mobility into Brazilian airspace. More than 50 specialists from 12 institutions are collaborating on the initiative, mapping the operation and service processes to identify the needs of users, the community and other stakeholders.

The simulation will be monitored by ANAC and the Department of Airspace Control, and is supported by vertiport developer Skyports; energy company EDP; EmbraerX aviation services business platform Beacon; and air traffic flow control and management systems company Atech.