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AirAsia Orders Vertical Aerospace’s Electric Aircraft From Avolon

Amerlight
Vertical Aerospace (Vertical) [NYSE: EVTL] notes Avolon’s announcement today that it will partner with AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd (AirAsia), Asia’s leading low-cost airline, to create a transformational ride sharing platform in Southeast Asia, including a non-binding memorandum of understanding to lease a minimum of 100 VX4s, Vertical’s flagship electric aircraft.

As announced in June 2021, Avolon, the world’s second largest aircraft lessor, pre-ordered 500 VX4s from Vertical to place with its global airline customers. This endorsement of the VX4 by AirAsia represents the aircraft’s first expansion into Southeast Asia.

With today’s announcement Avolon has now placed 450 of its VX4 pre-order to AirAsia, Japan’s JAL and Brazil’s Gol. Together, these airlines form a growing global community of transport operators that have ordered the VX4.

Vertical has directly agreed pre-orders or pre-order options with the likes of American Airlines, Avolon, Virgin Atlantic, Iberojet, Bristow Group and Marubeni resulting in a market-leading pre-order book by value totaling up to 1350 aircraft with a value of $5.4 bn.

The VX4 is a piloted four-passenger, zero operating emissions electric aircraft that is projected to fly at speeds of up to 200mph, over a 100-mile range. The VX4 is expected to be near silent when in flight, and with a low cost per passenger mile, it will be an affordable option for passengers with a cost at a slight premium to a taxi.

AirAsia’s leasing arrangement through Avolon is the first placement or pre-order since Vertical listed on the NYSE in December 2021

"We are delighted that AirAsia is the latest leading airline committing to lease our zero operating emissions VX4 aircraft. AirAsia provides many fantastic opportunities to travel around some of the most beautiful and diverse countries in the world, and I am thrilled that we will be bringing zero emissions flight to people all across Asia."

- Stephen Fitzpatrick, CEO Vertical Aerospace

“Tony Fernandes is an aviation pioneer who has built AirAsia into one of the leading airlines in the world and has now also created Southeast Asia’s fastest growing Super App anchored on travel. We are delighted to partner with AirAsia who share our vision of revolutionising the future of air travel. We look forward to working with Tony, and the AirAsia team, on their eVTOL journey. Together we will develop a ride sharing platform and bring the zero-emissions VX4 aircraft into service, positioning AirAsia as the operator of choice for sustainable air travel in the region.”

- Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon CEO



Last week, Vertical announced that Leonardo (BIT: LDO) would join its blue-chip partner ecosystem of aerospace, engineering and technology companies that Vertical has created to develop the VX4, and in so doing de-risk operational execution, pathway to certification and allowing for a lean cost structure that will enable production at scale. The partner ecosystem includes Rolls-Royce (LON: RR), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Honeywell (LON: HON), GKN, Solvay and Leonardo.

About Vertical Aerospace
Vertical Aerospace is pioneering electric aviation. The company was founded in 2016 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, an established entrepreneur best known as the founder of the Ovo Group, a leading energy and technology group and Europe’s largest independent energy retailer. Over the past five years, Vertical has focused on building the most experienced and senior team in the eVTOL industry, who have over 1,700 combined years of engineering experience, and have certified and supported over 30 different civil and military aircraft and propulsion systems. Vertical’s top-tier partner ecosystem is expected to de-risk operational execution and its pathway to certification allows for a lean cost structure and enables production at scale. Vertical has a market-leading pre-order book (by value) for a total of up to 1,350 aircraft from American Airlines, Avolon, Bristow and Iberojet, which includes conditional pre-order options from Virgin Atlantic and Marubeni, and in doing so, is creating multiple potential near term and actionable routes to market.

About VX4 eVTOL Aircraft
The four passenger, one pilot VX4 is projected to have speeds up to 200mph, a range over 100 miles, near silent when in flight, zero operating emissions and low cost per passenger mile. The VX4 is expected to open up advanced air mobility to a whole new range of passengers and transform how we travel. Find out more: vertical-aerospace.com

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Wheels Up Finalizes New Investment with Delta, Certares, Knighthead and Cox

Wheels Up | September 26, 2023

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Joby Subsidiary H2FLY Completes World’s First Piloted Flight of Liquid Hydrogen Powered Electric Aircraft

Business Wire | September 14, 2023

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PR Newswire | October 19, 2023

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Wheels Up | September 26, 2023

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Alerion Aviation Expands Fleet, Offering Enhanced Private Jet Charter Services

PR Newswire | October 03, 2023

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Supernal, Hyundai WIA and Mecaer Aviation Group Partner to Accelerate eVTOL Landing Gear Development

PR Newswire | October 19, 2023

Supernal, Hyundai Motor Group's (HMG) Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) company, Hyundai WIA, a global automotive and aerospace parts manufacturer and Mecaer Aviation Group, an Italy-based global aeronautical company, announced today a partnership to design and manufacture landing gear systems for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. Hyundai WIA specializes in mass manufacturing and precision machine tools, while Mecaer is experienced in designing and building aerospace-grade landing gear systems. The three partners are collaborating to improve the safety and overall performance of eVTOL vehicles by addressing weight, structural efficiency, energy absorption and electronic system integration in the landing gear design and manufacturing process. "Our collaboration with Hyundai WIA and Mecaer is a testament to Supernal's commitment to innovation and the highest standards of safety, design and manufacturing for Advanced Air Mobility," said Jaiwon Shin, president of Hyundai Motor Group and CEO of Supernal. "This partnership unites our collective strengths and expertise to deliver aerospace-grade eVTOL landing gear in record time and ensure their scalability and sustainability. These types of automotive and aerospace strategic alliances are key to the growth and success of our emerging industry." The partnership is critical to Supernal's efforts to pioneer high-scale production processes that will meet future demands of the AAM industry. The collaboration will support the business model—and streamline manufacturing—by incorporating state-of-the-art materials and efficient assembly technologies. "Hyundai WIA looks forward to leveraging our expertise from the automotive industry in large-scale parts manufacturing for the benefit of Supernal's upcoming eVTOL aircraft," said Jae-Wook Jung, president and CEO of Hyundai WIA. "We foresee significant potential to help demonstrate how cross-industry efficiencies can address enduring supply chain challenges, as well as the potential created by a new category of civil aviation." "We are especially proud to announce our participation in this industry-leading strategic partnership and to have teamed with Supernal and Hyundai WIA to design, develop and manufacture a fully integrated wheeled landing gear for the Advanced Air Mobility company's eVTOL vehicle," said Bruno Spagnolini, CEO, Mecaer. "We are extremely appreciative of the trust Supernal has shown in the ability of the Mecaer and Hyundai WIA team to produce and innovate its landing gear system." Supernal, Hyundai WIA and Mecaer held a signing ceremony for the partnership at the Seoul Air Show on October 18.

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