Fleet management and air mobility company EVfly has signed a Letter of Intent and will pay deposits for three Axe electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft with an option for five more, with delivery expected in 2024.
EVfly intends to first start operations in Thailand, followed by the rest of Asia, to demonstrate the potential utility of eVTOL aircraft, lay the groundwork for future commercial operations and begin training the next generation of eVTOL pilots.
EVfly aims to provide an affordable, fast, and safe means of commercial transportation using a fleet of eVTOL (Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) and eCTOL (Electric Conventional Take-Off and Landing) aircraft, which will operate across Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Although the Axe is mainly intended for use as a private aircraft, and has not been designed as a commercial air taxi, EVfly’s order demonstrates that the Axe is well-suited to the flight training market thanks to its two-seat side-by-side cockpit configuration, its double set of wings, low purchase price, low operating costs and easy-to-master flight characteristics.
With non-rotating engines and high-lift canard wings which are unique to the eVTOL market, the Axe is capable of flying either like a helicopter or a conventional fixed-wing aircraft. This will make the Axe instantly familiar to existing fixed-wing or helicopter pilots transitioning to fly E-VTOL aircraft, and make for better pilots than “wingless/rotor only” eVTOLs. As commercial eVTOL air taxis are likely to require trained pilots to operate them for at least the next decade, the Axe is well positioned to fill the incoming demand for eVTOL flight training – a market valued at £2.25 Billion up to 2028.
Skyfly CEO Michael Thompson said: “We are really excited to expand our footprint to cover the Asian markets and delighted that have Evfly has identified the Axe as the go-to training aircraft to satisfy the demand for the incoming demand for eVTOL pilots across Asia”.
“With our low purchase price, low running cost, 2-seat side by side design, and conventional fixed wing controls in forward flight, we expect to see more orders from other organisations looking for the ideal eVTOL trainer. EVfly have identified that eVTOLs will remain piloted for a number of years and there is not yet a suitable training aircraft on the market. We look forward to delivering our aircraft to EVfly in 2024.”
Yannick Erbs, CEO of EVfly, said: “EVfly aim to be the first operator of eVTOLs in Thailand and want to take this opportunity to also become the first eVTOL pilot training hub in Southeast Asia. That is why we are happy to announce our collaboration with SkyFly and to trust their prototype “Axe by SkyFly” to ensure the smooth running of our training with a quality and safe aircraft.”
