United Invests $15 Million In Eve Air Mobility

United Airlines has signed a $15 million investment deal with urban air mobility (UAM) company Eve Air Mobility for the purchase of 200 four-seat electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The agreement also includes options for an additional 200 aircraft along with laying out plans for joint work on future projects such as studies on the development, use and application of Eve's aircraft and the UAM ecosystem. As previously reported by AVweb, United also has a 200-aircraft agreement with eVTOL developer Archer.

“United has made early investments in several cutting-edge technologies at all levels of the supply chain, staking out our position as a leader in aviation sustainability and innovation,” said United Airlines Ventures President Michael Leskinen. “Today, United is making history again, by becoming the first major airline to publicly invest in two eVTOL companies. Our agreement with Eve highlights our confidence in the urban air mobility market and serves as another important benchmark toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050—without using traditional offsets.”

Eve was founded by Embraer, a connection United cited as one of the factors in its decision to invest, noting that Eve has access to Embraer’s service centers, parts warehouses and field service technicians. Eve’s four-seat eVTOL design uses fixed wings, rotors and pushers and is expected to offer a range of 60 miles (100 km). According to Eve and United, deliveries could begin “as early as 2026.”