Austrian eVTOL developer FlyNow has announced the signing of a commercial agreement with Dubai-based helicopter operator Mavi Air for the purchase of 100 eCopter eVTOLs.
This deal, valued at US$35 million, represents a significant endorsement for FlyNow’s rather original low-cost eVTOL concept.
The eCopter is a unipersonal fully electric automated eVTOL which is capable of carrying either people or cargo along pre-determined routes. Among its distinctive features are its capsule-like design and tail-less configuration. FlyNow completed its first untethered eCopter flight in early June 2025.
Since 2022 FlyNow has been compliant with the Specific Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL) II classification for drone operations under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulatory framewors. The SAIL system ranges from I to VI, based on the level of air and ground risks involved in the operations.
Flynow is now aiming to obtain SAIL IV classification by 2027, which would enable it to perform commercial cargo operations. The plan is to, then, operate at least one million miles in cargo flights before introducing passenger flights.
The deal with Mavi Air is contingent on FlyNow obtaining the relevant permits and certifications. Therefore, there is no specific timeframe for its implementation as yet.
“We value greatly our partnership with Mavi Air. We think it is important to collaborate with operators that have a good understanding of rotorcraft operations.” Yvonne Winter, FlyNow’s co-founder and Chief Operations Officer (COO), told Aerotime.
The eCopters are expected to perform tourist flights, urban air mobility missions and cargo delivery services in Dubai.
The fact that Mavi Air also has an important presence in Turkey and other markets opens up opportunities to deploy the eCopter in other geographies in the future, according to Winter.
Although based in Austria, FlyNow has been particularly active in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia. FlyNow is already collaborating with a number of local partners in the kingdom with a view to performing cargo flight tests in Jeddah in the near future.