News
Japan Airlines and Avolon team up on eVTOL
October 21st 2021
Japan Airlines (JAL) will take up to 100 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft under a deal with aircraft lessor, Avolon, to commercialise the technology in Japan. Read More » The deal with Avolon investment affiliate, e-Avolon, gives JAL the right to buy or lease 50 VX-X4 eVTOL aircraft with options on another 50. The partners aim to identify local partners and customers and infrastructure requirements as well as work on the complex issue of certification. Similar deals are being done worldwide as interest grows in urban mobility issues, particularly in crowded cities where road infrastructure is constrained. JAL hopes to operate air taxis at the Osaka Kansai EXPO in 2025. “Our partnership with Avolon lays out the pathway towards achieving (an) air mobility revolution in Japan,” JAL managing executive officer, Tomohiro Nishihata, said. “The introduction of VA-X4 also will contribute to a reduction in our environmental impact. We fundamentally believe sustainability will be the engine for growth across our business and region. We look forward to collaborating closely with Avolon and Vertical on the roadmap to certification for the VA-X4 with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau.” JAL also has a deal to promote urban air mobility with Germany’s Volocopter, which is working on electric air taxis and another technology of interest to the airline, heavy-lift cargo drones.
