UAV Eve announces Australian UAM partnership with Microflite

Eve Urban Air Mobility has signed a new partnership, this time with Microflite, an Australian helicopter operator. The collaboration seeks to lay new foundations for the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market in the country.

UAM operations are expected to begin in 2026, Eve announced. At first, Microflite and Eve will use the operator´s helicopters to begin their partnership. This allows to validate the proof of concept and parameters, which then will be used for electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations.

Jonathan Booth, CEO of Microflite, said: “This partnership is an exciting development for Microflite. Australia needs a post-COVID lift and what better way to do that than by developing high-tech and low carbon jobs that support transport, tourism and the vibrancy of this wonderful country. Microflite will work closely with Eve and its partners to evaluate the best path to bring this innovative service to customers.”

Back in 2019, the two companies worked together for the first time to develop a concept of operations with Eve and Airservices Australia. The experience from that partnership can now used as basis for air taxi operations in the country.

This latest partnership eventually seeks to find new procedures and services that “will create a safe and scalable operating environment for EVA operations”, Embraer stated in a press release. EVA stands for Eve´s Electrical Vertical Aircraft, which is currently being developed.

Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve Urban Air Mobility, added: “Our partnership with Microflite allows Eve to inject innovation and new mobility solutions within the Australian market. We can deliver a comprehensive solution, including maintenance services and air traffic management, getting ready to introduce our aircraft to Australia, while benefiting from Microflite’s extensive local operational experience.”

Microflite Helicopter Services is operating in Victoria with a large fleet of turbine helicopters. The company offers charter flights, touristic tours, pilot training, Airwork applications and further aircraft services. Since being founded in 2000, Microflite has been a leading operator with its red-colored aircraft.