Avolon and Japan Airlines partner to form eVTOL ride sharing business

Credit: Avolon

Avolon, the international aircraft leasing company, and Japan Airlines (JAL), have announced a partnership to commercialise zero-emissions eVTOL aircraft in Japan.

Through its investment and innovation affiliate Avolon-e, Avolon has formed a strategic partnership with JAL to identify and target local partners and customers, infrastructure requirements, certification, and a range of commercial models to introduce one of the world’s first eVTOL ride sharing businesses in Japan. Through this partnership, JAL will have a right to purchase or lease up to 50 Vertical VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft from Avolon, with the option to purchase or lease up to 50 additional units.

Dómhnal Slattery, CEO of Avolon commented: “We continue to identify partners who share the same vision to revolutionise air travel through zero-emissions eVTOL aircraft and shape the future of travel. This latest long-term partnership with JAL aligns us with one of Japan’s leading airlines on their journey to sustainability and to decarbonising air transport. The VA-X4 will be certified to CAA and EASA’s stringent safety regulations. We believe JAL’s multi-decade experience will prove invaluable as Vertical seeks type certificate validation with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau, demonstrating that the VA-X4 will be a global eVTOL, unconstrained by borders.”

“This announcement represents an important step towards the social implementation of Air Taxi at Osaka Kansai EXPO in 2025,” said Tomohiro Nishihata, Managing Executive Officer of Japan Airlines. “Our partnership with Avolon, lays out the pathway towards achieving an Air Mobility revolution in Japan. The introduction of VA-X4 will also contribute to reduce our environmental impact and we fundamentally believe that sustainability will be the engine for future 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.”

Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO of Vertical further added: “The VA-X4 will transform how we travel. We are delighted to be working with Avolon and our newest partner Japan Airlines as we bring zero-emissions aircraft to the Japanese market. JAL’s experience will strengthen the certification roadmap in Japan demonstrating our global view as we make eVTOLs a reality.”