Western Australian operators Aviair and HeliSpirit, both part of the HM Consolidated group have entered a partnership with Eve UAM with an order of up to 50 eVTOL aircraft with flights commencing from 2026. Melbourne-based operator Microflite has signed for up to 40 units.

Aviair and HeliSpirit serve some of Western Australia's most iconic tourist attractions in the Kimberley, South-West and Greater Perth regions. The addition of eVTOLs will bring the company’s fleet size to over 50 rotary and fixed wing aircraft.

Managing director Michael McConachy says: “This year marks 20 years of HeliSpirit being eco-accredited as a green travel leader, entering us into the Eco Tourism Australia Hall of Fame, so this is great timing to commit to significantly reducing our carbon footprint by operating zero-emission electric aircraft.

“Eve's eVTOL technology is well-aligned with our business model and desire to be at the forefront of carbon-neutral solutions for the aviation industry. The low-noise footprint of the aircraft makes it particularly well-suited to operations in sensitive natural settings, including national parks and World Heritage-listed areas, as well as for urban transfers, providing quick and efficient solutions for both business and tourism travellers.”

Microflite and Eve plan to begin their partnership using helicopters as a proof of concept to validate parameters that will apply to future eVTOL operations. This partnership also aims to develop new services and procedures that will create a safe and scalable operating environment for eVTOL operations together with communities and other industry stakeholders.

“This order builds on the successful partnership we have established with Eve and validates the exciting potential of zero-emission aircraft in Australia. After working closely with Eve over the past few months, we have identified a network of potential routes, and we look forward to working with commercial partners and communities to prioritise these routes and trial selected operations with our existing fleet,” says Microflite CEO Jonathan Booth.

Eve positions itself as an ecosystem partner by offering a suite of safe products and services. In addition to the aircraft programme, it is harnessing the expertise of both Embraer and its subsidiary Atech to provide ATM software.