Helicopters Inc has signed a letter of intent with Eve Air Mobility for up to 50 eVTOL aircraft plus service support and Vector, Eve’s urban air traffic management (ATM) software.

“Eve Air Mobility’s maturity and reliability, backed by Embraer, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft, was a key factor in our decision to select Eve for our future eVTOL aircraft,” says president Tom Wagner. “The eVTOL aircraft will provide numerous advantages including competitive cost of operation, fewer parts, and optimised structures and systems, not to mention a lower noise footprint and environmental benefits.”

Eve’s relationship with Helicopters Inc dates back to a simulation the two companies worked on together in Chicago, Illinois in 2022. Eve, partnering also with Blade, used a helicopter operated by Helicopters Inc to replicate future eVTOL operations. The companies transported passengers from the Vertiport Chicago facility to two helistops located northwest and southwest of Chicago. The first route connected Vertiport Chicago to Schaumburg Municipal Helistop, and the second route connected Vertiport Chicago to Tinley Park Helistop.

“We appreciate Helicopters Inc’s confidence in Eve by purchasing up to 50 of our eVTOL aircraft,” says Megha Bhatia, chief commercial officer, Eve Air Mobility. “Helicopters Inc is a recognised leader, safely operating aircraft in more than 30 metropolitan areas throughout the US, and we are excited to add such a credible vertical lift operator to our list of customers. We look forward to working with it on deploying our all-electric eVTOL aircraft as part of its extensive US operation.”

Eve and Helicopters Inc will further work together in refining potential launch cities in target markets, aircraft maintenance and servicing requirements, and along with ecosystem partners, analysing the additional infrastructure requirements needed to support safe and efficient operations. Target use cases could feature airport shuttle and point-to-point connections across the United States.

As part of the new agreement, Helicopters Inc will also have access to Eve TechCare, an all-in-one suite of solutions designed to streamline eVTOL operations by providing the most comprehensive services, expert customer support and operational solutions. The agreement also includes Vector, an agnostic software solution designed to efficiently navigate current and future advanced air mobility operations.