Up to 50 Eve eVTOLs for Helicopters Inc
December 4, 2024
US-based helicopter operator Helicopter Inc is to purchase up to 50 Eve aircraft as its “future eVTOL,” selected for providing what Helicopter Inc president Tom Wagner describes as “numerous advantages including competitive cost of operation, fewer parts and optimised structures and systems, not to mention a lower noise footprint and environmental benefits”.
The newly signed LOI builds on a two-year relationship between the companies, with Eve (partnering with Blade Inc and Helicopters Inc) employing a rotary-wing aircraft operated by the latter to replicate future eVTOL operations. During this 2022 trial, passengers were transported from the Vertiport Chicago facility to Schaumberg Municipal Helistop and Tinley Park Helistop.
“Helicopters Inc. is a recognized leader, safely operating aircraft in more than 30 metropolitan areas throughout the US, and we are excited to add such a credible vertical lift operator to our list of customers,” commented Eve Air Mobility chief commercial officer Megha Bhatia.
Together, the two parties will “further work together in refining potential launch cities in target markets, aircraft maintenance and servicing requirements, and along with ecosystem partners, analysing the additional infrastructure requirements needed to support safe and efficient operations,” concluded Eve.
Helicopters Inc currently operates in over 30 major US cities with a fleet of Bell Jetrangers, Longrangers, 407s, and Airbus AS350s. As well as offering charter, leasing, commercial and utility, airborne public service and electronic news gathering (ENG) services, it has also offered leasing and support solutions for US government applications via almost a decade of consecutive contracts. Eve stated that Helicopters Inc’s target use cases for Eve “could feature airport shuttle and point-to-point connections across the United States”.
