United Airlines has invested $15m in Brazilian company Eve Air Mobility as it increases its presence in the burgeoning air tax, or flying taxi, market.
United has signed a conditional purchase agreement with Eve – which is a subsidiary of Brazilian planemaker Embraer – to buy 200 four-seat electric aircraft, with deliveries expected in 2026.
Air taxis, or flying taxis, are small electric-powered aircraft designed to fly passengers across short domestic journeys in urban locations, in much the same way as traditional car taxis do.
“United has made early investments in several cutting-edge technologies at all levels of the supply chain, staking out our position as a leader in aviation sustainability and innovation,” said Michael Leskinen, president of United Airlines Ventures.
“Today, United is making history again, by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL [electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles] companies. Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050 – without using traditional offsets. Together, we believe our suite of clean energy technologies will revolutionise air travel as we know it and serve as the catalyst for the aviation industry to move toward a sustainable future,” Mr Leskinen said.
