Embraer’s Eve to Deploy Electric Vertical Aircraft for Blade in Key Southern Florida and West Coast Markets

Download as PDF
  • Eve, an Embraer-backed manufacturer of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, to provide up to 60,000 hours of flight time per year to Blade across multiple markets
  • This agreement has the potential to bring up to 60 of Eve’s Electric Vertical Aircraft (“EVA” or “eVTOL”) to Blade’s platform
  • Aircraft will be deployed by Eve together with local partners, consistent with Blade’s asset-light business model

NEW YORK & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Blade Air Mobility, Inc. (“Blade”, NASDAQ: BLDE) and Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Inc. (“Eve”), a subsidiary of Embraer S.A. (“Embraer,” NYSE: ERJ), announced an arrangement for Eve to provide Blade up to 60,000 hours of flight time per year on its EVA beginning in 2026 for use in Southern Florida and West Coast markets, subject to certain considerations.

Backed by Embraer’s more than 50-year history of aircraft manufacturing and certification expertise, Eve unveils a unique value proposition by offering a suite of products and services. Eve’s zero-emission and low noise EVA represents a simple and intuitive design that continues to reach development milestones, including the first flight of the engineering simulator in July 2020, and a proof of concept in October 2020. In parallel, Eve’s Urban Air Traffic Management project reached a new milestone in its collaboration with the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority to develop a scalable environment needed to host UAM flights.

“Blade is aligned with our mission as they have created a platform that provides the user seamless access to Urban Air Mobility, and now with Eve to provide an experience that is quiet and without emissions. The company’s platform will be instrumental in deploying our aircraft in key markets in South Florida and the West Coast of the United States. This partnership with Blade is the next step in unlocking the future of mobility in these key areas and marks an exciting time for both companies,” said Andre Stein, President & CEO of Eve.

Eve plans to deploy, together with local partners, up to 60 aircraft for Blade’s use throughout the United States beginning in 2026. Blade will pay for flight time utilized on Eve’s aircraft, which will be made available by Eve and other third-parties. The deployment of Eve aircraft across the Blade network is subject to the parties entering into definitive final agreements.

“Blade is pleased to partner with Eve, leveraging Embraer’s deep aerospace expertise to provide Blade with quiet, zero-carbon, electric aircraft," said Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade. “Eve’s aircraft provides ideal operating economics for Blade’s shorter distance routes, adding to our three other recently announced EVA partnerships which, together, can optimize service for Blade’s wide variety of mission profiles and regional hubs.”

About Blade

Blade is a technology-powered urban air mobility platform committed to reducing travel friction by providing cost-effective air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested ground routes in the U.S. and abroad. Today, the company predominantly uses helicopters and amphibious aircraft. Its asset-light model, coupled with its exclusive passenger terminal infrastructure, is designed to facilitate a seamless transition to Electric Vertical Aircraft ("EVA" or “eVTOL”), enabling lower cost air mobility to the public that is both quiet and zero emissions.

For more information, visit blade.com/investors.

About Eve

Eve is a new, independent company dedicated to accelerating the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) ecosystem. Benefitting from a startup mindset, backed by Embraer’s more than 50-year history of aerospace expertise, and with a singular focus, Eve is taking a holistic approach to progressing the UAM ecosystem, with an advanced electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle (eVTOL) project, a comprehensive global services and support network, and a unique air traffic management solution. Eve is the first company to graduate from EmbraerX. For more information, visit www.eveairmobility.com.

About Embraer

A global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil, Embraer has businesses in Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense & Security and Agricultural Aviation. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets aircraft and systems, providing Services & Support to customers after-sales.

Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. On average, about every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year.

Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats and the main exporter of high value-added goods in Brazil. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “continue”, “expect”, “estimate”, “may”, “plan”, “outlook”, “future” and “project” and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking statements, including with respect to the agreement between Blade and Eve, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors, many of which are outside Blade’s control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors include, but are not limited to: (1) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the agreements and transactions described in this press release; (2) the inability to complete the transactions due to the failure of any party to satisfy relevant terms and conditions; (3) costs related to the transactions; (4) changes in applicable laws or regulations and delays in obtaining, adverse conditions contained in, or the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals required to complete the transactions; (5) the possibility that Blade may be adversely affected by other economic, business, regulatory and/or competitive factors; (6) the impact of COVID-19 on Blade’s business and/or the ability of the parties to complete the transactions; and (7) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Blade or any of its directors or officers, following the announcement of the transactions.

New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and it is impossible for us to predict these events or how they may affect us or the transactions described in this press release. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, and Blade undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changes in expectations, future events or otherwise.

For Blade Media Relations
Phil Denning / Nora Flaherty
BladeMediaRelations@icrinc.com

For Blade Investor Relations
Mike Callahan / Tom Cook
BladeIR@icrinc.com

For Eve Media Relations North America
Lauren Cozza
Lauren.cozza@embraer.com

For Eve Media Relations Brazil
Ricardo Donizetti Dos Santos
ricardo.santos@embraer.com.br

Source: Blade Air Mobility, Inc.

Released June 24, 2021