VET Airways bets on NOEMI seaplanes for sustainable air links in Cambodia
July 10, 2025
Elfly Group agrees $50 million deal with Vet Airways for five NOEMI seaplanes.
One of Cambodia’s largest transport and logistics companies, VET Airways, has agreed a deal with Norwegian amphibious aircraft developer Elfly to acquire five of its no emissions electric (NOEMI) seaplanes, once certified.
The deal, which is thought to be worth $50 million, underpins VET Airways’ commitment to sustainable growth by bringing clean air travel to Southeast Asia.
Seaplane orders soaring across the globe
Elfly has already secured agreements with carriers in destinations including Denmark, Greece, Indonesia and Panama for its all-electric amphibious aircraft.
The deal with Cambodian Vet Airways marks its 52nd aircraft order, with the collective soft orders totalling an estimated $550million.
Commenting on the MoU, Neak Oknha Suo Vireak, CEO of VET Airways’ parent company, Vireak Buntham Express, said: “There’s a huge market for seaplanes in Asia.”
He also noted that one of the key advantages of NOEMI is its ability to “fly straight from airports to the coast and out compete road transport,”. This, he added, is key to the airline’s logistics network.
Elfly NOEMI on a flightpath to certification
With the NOEMI gaining altitude, the first full-scale prototype is scheduled to fly in 2027, with entry into service in 2030.
“NOEMI isn’t just a seaplane. It’s a platform for the next 100 years of flight, starting as a battery-electric seaplane but also prepared for hybrid, turboprop engines, sustainable fuels and even hydrogen. We’ve built a fuselage and wing that outperform the venerable DHC-6 Twin Otter by a wide margin,” said Eric Lithun, CEO of Elfly.
Elfly has recently completed a series of developments on its journey towards certification, including the first flight of a 1:5 sub-scale model with a 4.5m wingspan from Tonsberg Fjord in Norway.
It has also conducted wind tunnel tests at KTH Stockholm, which have confirmed NOEMI’s low-drag, short take-off and landing (STOL) performance and stable, efficient flight.
Meanwhile, a pre-application contract agreement signed with EASA during Paris Air Show formalised the cooperation between the two organisations, providing Elfly with a structure path towards permit-to-fly, and a smoother journey to full certification down the line.
This latest signing with VET Airways shows “the world is ready for NOEMI,” said Lithun. “This is the go-anywhere amphibious aircraft that opens new routes, replaces outdated fleets and brings zero-emissions flight where it’s never been before. The future of air travel is here – and it’s electric.”
