Eve Air Mobility and Yugo Global Industries, have announced at the Singapore Airshow this week, a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), to explore the potential for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and eVTOL flights in Southeast Asia, reports a press release.
Yugo is a private aviation network with a focus on Southeast Asia. The company benefits from the support of two leading local Air Transport operators, PhilJets (Philippines) and Helistar (Cambodia). Yugo’s commitment is to support regional eVTOL innovation.
The collaboration will primarily focus on the potential infrastructure requirements to support eVTOL operations including regulations. The companies will also analyse service centre and vertiport size and capabilities, ground handling and other areas as needed.
Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve Air Mobility, commented, “Our goal is to understand and define a business model that not only enables eVTOL flights in the region, but also advances the overall mobility ecosystem.”
Thierry Tea, Chairman of Yugo, added, “We strongly believe that Southeast Asian economies will greatly contribute to the development of the eVTOL and UAM industry. Our collaboration with Eve will offer valuable insights into the essential requirements for regional air mobility development.”
Thierry Tea
Eve is already working with various key stakeholders across the region to collaboratively build the ecosystems and explore future operations in multiple countries. The region’s aviation infrastructure is rapidly advancing. For example, the Philippines is constructing the New Manila International Airport by San Miguel Corporation, while OCIC Group is building Cambodia’s Phnom Penh Techo International Airport (TIA), set to open in 2025. To reduce carbon emissions, these new airports, are exploring charging stations and flight routes for eVTOLs and flying taxis.
Singapore is the first mover in Southeast Asia for UAM and this can provide neighboring countries a template to support further ecosystem development in the region.
Eve has begun construction of its full-scale prototype and is on schedule to begin trialling the aircraft later on this year. It is displaying the cabin section at this week’s Singapore Airshow.
Background
Featuring a lift+cruise design to minimise moving parts and reduce potential cost of ownership, Eve’s eVTOL features eight lift rotors to assist in takeoff and landing and one push rotor for cruise. With a range of 60 miles and traveling at speeds of 100 knots, Eve’s aircraft currently leads the industry with 2,850 orders. The aircraft is scheduled to enter service in 2026.
In addition to developing its eVTOL aircraft, Eve is to offer its customers immediate access to an existing worldwide network of service centres through its relationship with Embraer.
