U.S. flight services group Helicopters Inc is planning to add up to 50 of Eve Air Mobility’s four-passenger eVTOL aircraft to its fleet. Under a letter of intent signed on December 4, the rotorcraft operator also agreed to use Eve’s Vector air traffic management system when the eVTOLs enter service as well as the manufacturer’s TechCare product support program.

In 2022, Eve worked with Helicopters Inc and Blade to run a simulation of eVTOL air taxi services using helicopters. These flights carried passengers between Vertiport Chicago and a pair of temporary “helistops” on the northwest and southwest sides of the city in Schaumberg and Tinley Park.

Helicopters Inc has started working with Eve to assess the most likely cities where it could launch eVTOL services including airport shuttle flights and point-to-point connections. In addition to helicopter charter flights in around 30 U.S. metropolitan areas, the operator also support news gathering missions, government support, powerline and pipeline inspections, and airborne public safety work.

“Eve Air Mobility’s maturity and reliability backed by Embraer, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial aircraft, was a key factor in our decision to select Eve for out future eVTOL aircraft,” said Helicopters Inc president Tom Wagner. “The eVTOL aircraft will provide numerous advantages including competitive cost of operation, fewer parts and optimized structures and systems, not to mention a lower noise footprint and environmental benefits.”

According to Eve, it now holds letters of intent covering almost 3,000 of the eVTOL aircraft it aims to have certified and ready to enter service in 2027. On December 2, the company received an additional $35 million in funding from Brazil’s National Development Bank, adding to an earlier $92.5 million line of credit and a $50 million investment from Citibank.