Gol, Brazil’s largest airline and Grupo Comparte, the country’s leading transport operator, have teamed up with Avolon, the aircraft leasing and lease management specialist, to create an electric vertical and take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle ride-sharing platform in Brazil.
The three companies will jointly collaborate to identify and target local partners, infrastructure, and certification requirements across a range of commercial models, launching one of the world’s first eVTOL ride sharing businesses. As part of the joint venture, GOL and Grupo Comporte have agreed to either lease or purchase 250 VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon.
Manufactured by Vertical Aerospace, the VA-X4 is a zero-emission aircraft which can carry four passengers over a distance of up to 100 miles travelling at 200 miles per hour. With this announcement, Avalon now has commitments for the acquisition of over 50% of the 500 VA-X4s it ordered from Vertical Aerospace back in June.
Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon CEO, commented: “Today’s announcement represents a significant step in building an eVTOL ride sharing platform that will reshape the commercial aviation market in Brazil. 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 capitalise on the expected demand for VA-X4 zero-emissions, ultra-short-haul transport.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical CEO commented: “The VA-X4 is ideal for a city like Sao Paolo with a population of over 22 million people. 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.”
