FlyBlade India (BLADE India), a joint venture between Hunch Ventures and Blade Air Mobility, Inc., has entered into a strategic partnership which includes a non-binding order of up to 200 Electric Vertical Take-Off And Landing (eVTOL) from Eve Air Mobility (Eve). BLADE India will initially underwrite 50,000 hours of flight time per year using Eve’s eVTOL in the country.
“We are thrilled about partnering with BLADE India and pioneering the urban air mobility market in the country, which has the potential to be one of the largest markets globally. This initial order will allow us to enter into service in India and further develop the ecosystem according to the community’s needs. We look forward to offering the people of India a zero-emission UAM solution in the future that will be quiet, efficient, and accessible,” said André Stein, co-CEO of Eve.
Both companies plan to collaborate on a three-month pilot project connecting passengers using helicopters, and BLADE India has also contracted for Eve’s Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) software solution.
“India’s traffic congestion woes are only expected to get worse. This partnership allows us to leverage Eve’s deep expertise in not just EVA design but also in the infrastructure required to support UAM,” said Amit Dutta, Managing Director, BLADE India.
The company is one of the pioneers in providing short-haul air mobility services in India and will act as Eve’s on-ground knowledge partner to create a UAM ecosystem. The data collected through its customer experience and operations will be used to develop further Eve’s eVTOL, service and support solutions, and its UATM software.
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