Nearly A Dozen eVTOL Aircraft Designs Were Evaluated Before Halo Selected Eve
Halo has placed a firm order for 200 Eve Urban Air Mobility vehicles -- making it the launch customer for this aircraft. The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft have an expected delivery date in 2026. One hundred of the vehicles will be used for operations in the United States and 100 will operate in the United Kingdom.
In addition, Halo announced the alignment of U.K.-based Halo Aviation Ltd. (Halo) and U.S.-based Associated Aircraft Group (AAG) under the Halo brand. Both companies had been acquired earlier this year by OneSky Flight, a member of the Directional Aviation family. In addition, Halo will provide streamlined experiences for clients of sister companies in the Directional Aviation family of brands: Flexjet, Sentient Jet, PrivateFly and FXAIR.
“Bringing together two companies, which are leading providers of vertical lift and urban mobility services in two of the most important markets, will create a phenomenal vertical mobility platform,” said Kenneth C. Ricci, Principal, Directional Aviation. “And in placing this order for a revolutionary breakthrough in urban air mobility, we are advancing toward safe, efficient and sustainable travel in and between our cities. eVTOL urban air mobility is the greatest opportunity, and the greatest challenge, I have seen in my 40 years in aviation, and Eve is positioned to make it a reality.”
Nearly a dozen eVTOL aircraft designs were evaluated before Halo selected Eve as its launch product to deliver its vertical lift vision. In selecting this aircraft and manufacturer, Ricci said he assessed several elements that pointed to its future success.
Incubated by Embraer, Eve combines the startup Embraer’s 50 years of aerospace expertise. The 200 aircraft that Halo has ordered will begin delivery in 2026. Until then, Halo will continue to operate its Leonardo and Sikorsky helicopters as the eVTOL aircraft are phased into service.
In May, 2021, OneSky Flight acquired Halo Aviation, a leading helicopter travel operator in the U.K., and in February, 2021, it acquired Associated Aircraft Group (AAG), the premier operator of executive Sikorsky helicopter service in the Northeastern U.S. Combining the two companies under the Halo brand provides a foundation in the U.S. and U.K. for the establishment of eVTOL service.
In addition to offering an eVTOL design that continues to reach development milestones, including the first flight of the engineering simulator in July 2020 and proof of concept in October 2020, Eve is working with Embraer and Atech, a subsidiary of the Embraer Group, to develop an Urban Air Traffic Management (UATM) system.
Eve and Halo will work together with the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority and U.S. regulators to advance this international eVTOL operator partnership of its kind.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.02.24)
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