Avolon, an international aircraft leasing company, entered a partnership with Gol, a Brazilian airline, and Grupo Comporte, a Brazilian transport operator, to commercialize an eVTOL ride sharing platform in Brazil.

Avolon, Gol and Grupo Comporte will collaborate to identify and target local partners, infrastructure and certification requirements across a range of commercial models to launch the eVTOL ride sharing businesses. As part of the agreement, Gol and Grupo Comporte committed to purchase or lease up to 250 VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft.

The VA-X4, manufactured by Vertical Aerospace, will be introduced in 2024. Avolon is a launch customer for the aircraft, which can transport four passengers and one pilot distances of 100 miles at up to 200 miles per hour. Avolon already has commitments for more than half of its order for 500 VA-X4 aircraft, which was announced in June.

“Today’s announcement represents a significant step in building an eVTOL ride sharing platform that will reshape the commercial aviation market in Brazil,” Dómhnal Slattery, CEO of Avolon, said. “The opportunities to deploy the VA-X4 are enormous. Gol and Grupo Comporte both bring broad and diverse networks, along with proven track records in scaling multiple businesses, making them the ideal strategic partners for Avolon. Their unparallel market access, coupled with our deep knowledge and relationships in the Brazilian aviation market, leaves us strongly positioned to capitalize on the expected demand for VA-X4 zero-emissions, ultra-short-haul transport.

“This latest agreement underlines Avolon’s ability to fast track the commercialization of the VA-X4 globally. In less than three months since becoming a launch partner for the aircraft, we have already placed over half of our initial aircraft order, demonstrating the significant appetite we are seeing from the world’s airlines for the VA-X4.”

“The VA-X4 is ideal for a city like Sao Paolo with a population of over 22 million people,” Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO of Vertical Aerospace, said. “Our eVTOLs will transform how we travel around high population density cities that are clogged with traffic by taking to the skies with zero emissions aircraft. We look forward to working with our existing partners, Avolon, and our newest partners, Gol and Grupo Comporte, on bringing this revolution in air travel to Brazil.”