The Brazilian manufacturer, through the sustainable aviation project Eve Air Mobility, will start a simulation of urban air mobility – UAM, abbreviated in English – that will connect Barra da Tijuca with the Galeão International Airport, in Rio de Janeiro.
The tests, which will be carried out for approximately one month, will be performed with a helicopter and will be used to test the eVTOL – electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft – developed by Eve.
According to Embraer, the simulation will apply prices close to those expected in the future for an eVTOL. Tickets are already on sale on Flapper, an independent platform for on-demand flights.
The work will be performed with the support of government entities and will be monitored by the National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and the Department of Airspace Control (DECEA). It will also count on the participation of strategic partners of the Brazilian manufacturer. Helisul Aviação, one of the most important helicopter operators in the region, will be in charge of the flights.
According to André Stein, Eve’s CEO, «Eve’s human-centered development approach pursues practical validation of concepts and assumptions that will help us understand and address key challenges associated with service delivery. Rio de Janeiro is one of the worst-trafficked cities in the world, and the simulation will help us probe the real needs of users, partners, and the community that will benefit from our mobility solutions».
Embraer has been actively working on the development of solutions to promote Urban Air Mobility focused on reducing environmental impact. In this regard, in November the company will hold the «Sustainability in Action» presentation in which the concepts of four new regional aircraft for a sustainable future will be announced worldwide.
The simulation to be held in November is part of the concept of the operation initiated in August this year in Rio de Janeiro, with the aim of integrating UAM into Brazilian airspace. «More than 50 specialists from 12 institutions are collaborating in the innovative initiative, mapping operation and service processes to identify the needs of users, the community, and other stakeholders,» the release assured.
Other Embraer partners in this project are: Skyports, focused on the design, construction, and operation of drone vertiports; EDP, a major energy sector company; Beacon, the EmbraerX platform designed to connect industry resources, the aftermarket supply chain, and aviation professionals in a more agile way; and Atech, the company responsible for the development, implementation, and support of the Embraer Group’s air traffic flow control and management systems (civil and military).
The arrival of Eve’s first aircraft is scheduled for 2026 and will serve one of the most interesting markets worldwide, given the large amount of demand for UAM in Brazil. The aircraft will be all-electric and will provide efficient and comfortable transportation, with low noise levels and zero carbon emissions.
Reduce the environmental impact? The person who wrote this has absolutely no idea of the social economical situation in Rio. Or never took a train/bus into the baixada direction. It’s just ridiculous to read that this will reduce any environmental impact in a city full of poor people lacking basic sanitation, with 50-100 super rich who can afford this. Just tell it like it people and be honest , you are building this for some rich people to Rio from the skies cuz nobody does business there anymore.