U.K. startup Vertical Aerospace and its partners, aircraft leaser Avolon, private airport operator Corporación América Airports (CAAP), Brazilian airline Gol and Brazilian transport operator Grupo Comporte, are looking to develop vertiports to support eVTOL operations to Brazil.
This includes scoping out potential vertiport designs and locations suitable to launch urban air mobility (UAM) services using Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL aircraft. Vertical said each of its partners bring a level of expertise to the table. CAAP, for example, currently operates 53 airports globally, including two airports in Brazil, and has two decades of experience in airport design, construction, operations, and traffic management.
With a team dedicated to advanced air mobility (AAM), CAAP said it has already developed its own conceptual vertiport design and progressed AAM traffic analysis across several countries.
“I’m delighted that Vertical is partnering with Avolon, Gol, Grupo Comporte and CAAP to deliver critical eVTOL infrastructure in Brazil,” said Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Vertical, in a press release. “It was in Brazil that I had the inspiration to begin Vertical Aerospace, so it is incredible to see it becoming a reality there.”
Not only are Gol and Grupo partners with Vertical in this endeavor, but both are also customers, agreeing to purchase or lease up to 250 of Vertical’s VX4 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon.
The partners subsequently teamed up to launch a task force with the aim of working with Brazilian aviation authorities to obtain type certification validation for the aircraft and bring the eVTOL to market in the country.
Vertical is developing a five-seat VX4 eVTOL aircraft with projected speeds of up to 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour) and a range of more than 100 miles (160 kilometers). The company is targeting concurrent type certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), with validation targeted in the various regions in which it has planned operations.
Along with Vertical, Embraer backed Eve Air Mobility has also staked out Brazil for UAM operations. The company recently completed a concept of operations (CONOPs) detailing how UAM could be integrated in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil is also the region that the company plans to get its eVTOL type certified first.
