Avolon, the Ireland-headquartered aircraft lessor and provider of lease management services has announced that AirAsia Aviation Group (AirAsia) has signed a non-binding MoU for the lease of a minimum 100 Vertical Aerospace VX4 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Air Asia is looking to revolutionise air travel in the Southeast-Asia region by providing air mobility to a new passenger base.
Through its Avalon-e investment and innovation affiliate, Avolon will also partner with AirAsia to develop a zero-emissions eVTOL industry-leading urban air mobility (UAM) platform in Southeast Asia. The two companies intend to now create a working group focused on obtaining local certification as well as research market opportunities and infrastructure needs for UAM. Together with Avolon, AirAsia will also further develop its AirAsia Super App to build a ride-sharing platform. With Brazil’s Gol and Grupo Comporte ordering 250 Vertical Aerospace eVTOLs, Japan Airlines ordering 100 and now AirAsia ordering 100, Avolon has placed 90% of the 500 VX4 eVTOLs it agreed to purchase from Vertical Aerospace in June 2021.
The four-passenger, one-pilot VX4 should reach speeds of up to 200mph with a range over 100 miles. It will be near-silent when in flight, produce zero operating emissions and offer a low-cost per passenger mile. Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A commented: “Innovation has always been in our DNA and using technology to look at more efficient and sustainable ways of doing things is a core focus across Capital A (formerly AirAsia Group). Dómhnal Slattery, CEO of Avolon commented: “Tony Fernandes is an aviation pioneer who has built AirAsia into one of the leading airlines in the world and has now also created Southeast Asia’s fastest growing Super App anchored on travel. We are delighted to partner with AirAsia who share our vision of revolutionising the future of air travel.
