Irish aerospace player Avolon is flying high as Turkey’s Gözen Holding orders potentially 100 aircraft.
Avolon has signed a deal to sell 50 small electric aircraft – with the option to sell or lease 50 more – to Turkish airline conglomerate Gözen Holding.
This completes a $2bn order of the battery powered aircraft from UK start-up Vertical Aerospace.
“The strong demand for our VX4 orderbook and for zero emissions travel, confirms our view that demand for eVTOL aircraft would always outstrip supply”
Gözen has committed to purchase or lease up to 50 VX4 eVTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft from Avolon with the option of purchasing 50 more of the aircraft.
As part of the agreement, Avolon, through its investment and innovation affiliate Avolon-e, has formed a strategic partnership with Gözen Holding to commercialise zero-emissions eVTOL travel and develop an industry leading urban air mobility platform in Turkey.
Global air revolution
The partnership will allow Avolon to leverage Gözen Holding’s expertise in airline operations, pilot training, airport handling and security, airline representation as well as digital platforms, while Gözen Holding will benefit from Avolon’s deep industry expertise and global platform of UAM Working Groups, which are active in Brazil (with GOL), Greenland (with Air Greenland), Japan (with Japan Airlines) and Southeast Asia (with AirAsia).
“Today marks an important milestone on our eVTOL journey, as we have now fully placed our VX4 orderbook with some of the leading international airlines and aviation companies all over the world,” said Dómhnal Slattery, CEO of Avolon.
“The opportunities to deploy the VX4 are enormous and, as is evident with our placement progress to date, zero emissions eVTOL air travel will reshape the short-haul travel market. Our partnership with Gözen Holding will create a pioneer in UAM in Turkey, bringing sustainable air travel to the region.
“The strong demand for our VX4 orderbook and for zero emissions travel, confirms our view that demand for eVTOL aircraft would always outstrip supply. As a result, we will continue working with other partners that want to purchase or lease the VX4 in order to fully size the potential market and demand for this aircraft.”
Sustainable travel
Istanbul offers one of the most unique opportunities worldwide for eVTOLs due to its distant airports, traffic congestion and vast waterway networks. With over 50 million people using ferries or city boats in Istanbul every year, eVTOLs offer a faster, quieter and more sustainable form of travel, helping reduce travellers’ environmental footprint.
“As an integral part of the Turkish aviation industry, we feel it is incumbent upon us to be at the forefront of the sustainability movement and that is why we identified Avolon, and Vertical’s VX4, as the zero-emissions eVTOL aircraft that will revolutionise air travel,” said Mekin Gözen, CEO of Gözen Holding.
“With over 15m people living in Istanbul, the city is consistently faced with congestion which hinders both the cities’ development and attractiveness as a tourist and business location. We strongly believe that the deployment of the VX4 will dramatically reshape Istanbul and the rest of Turkey. Our partnership with Avolon will see us create an eVTOL ecosystem in the country and is the first step in delivering sustainable air travel to the region, position it as a global leader.”
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.
Upon its introduction, the VX4 will be designed to the safest certification standards, set by EASA, at the same level as commercial aircraft. The VX4 is expected to open up advanced air mobility to a whole new range of passengers and transform how we travel.
“We are delighted that Turkey has been added to the global destinations where the VX4 will fly,” said Stephen Fitzpatrick, founder and CEO of Vertical.
“We look forward to welcoming Gözen into the Vertical family and continue to celebrate our growing partnership with Avolon.”
