Manila among cities to be served by Eve’s electric aircraft

EVE Urban Air Mobility, LLC is planning to deploy up to 100 aircraft to be marketed by Ascent Flights Global Ltd. for use in key cities in the Asia-Pacific region, including Manila.

Eve and Ascent announced on Tuesday “a deepening of their partnership aimed at developing a robust urban air mobility (UAM) ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region,” Embraer S.A. said in a statement e-mailed to reporters.

Eve is a company under Embraer, a Brazil-based multinational aerospace manufacturer.

“Beginning in 2026, Eve will provide Ascent with up to 100,000 hours of flight time per year on its electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, also known in the market as EVA (electrical vertical aircraft), for use in key cities such as Bangkok (Thailand), Manila (Philippines), Melbourne (Australia), Singapore, and Tokyo (Japan),” Embraer said.

It also noted that Eve plans to deploy up to 100 aircraft to be marketed by Ascent, which operates as an independent on-demand platform, on its current and future routes.

Ascent, a Singapore-based start-up that powers Asian air mobility, will pay for flight time utilized on Eve’s aircraft while working with partners in the Asia-Pacific and other markets, Embraer said.

“This new agreement is part of Eve´s comprehensive UAM strategy to position the company as a leader in the industry. The deployment of Eve aircraft across the Ascent network is subject to the parties entering into definitive final agreements,” the company added.

Eve President and Chief Executive Officer Andre Stein told BusinessWorld in a recent e-mail interview that the company wants to make eVTOLs accessible to the middle-class population in the region. — Arjay L. Balinbin