Brazil-based low-cost airline GOL inked an agreement with aircraft lessor Avolon and investor Grupo Comporte on September 21, 2021 to acquire 250 VA-X4 electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
GOL expects to start operating the eVTOL flight network and operations in Brazil by mid-2025.
“Today’s announcement represents a significant step in building an eVTOL ride-sharing platform that will reshape the commercial aviation market in Brazil,” said Dómhnal Slattery, Avolon’s chief executive officer. “The opportunities to deploy the VA-X4 are enormous.”
The VA-X4 is a eVTOL aircraft manufactured by British-based aerospace company Vertical Aerospace. The eVTOL aircraft, operated by a single pilot, can transport four passengers up to 100 miles (161 kilometers) at a velocity of 200 miles per hour (321.8 kilometers per hour).
“The VA-X4 is ideal for a city like Sao Paolo with a population of over 22 million people,” said Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical’s chief executive officer. “Our eVTOLs will transform how we travel around high population density cities that are clogged with traffic by taking to the skies with zero emissions aircraft.”
Grupo Comporte is an entity of GOL’s controlling shareholder that will be the financial investor for the project and provide expertise to develop the flight network for the venture.
GOL operates a fleet of 78 Boeing 737s and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, according to its sustainability and ESG goals.
