Kenya Airways to Buy 40 Flying Taxis from Brazil

By Jane Muia / Published June 22, 2022 | 5:26 pm

KEY POINTS

KQ signed an agreement with EVE UAM, LLC, a subsidiary of Eve Holding, Inc. (“Eve”) and plane maker Embraer SA which includes joint studies through a working group to develop and scale the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

The concept of flying taxis has been mobilized in many cities for various activities, especially in parcel delivery, urban taxi services, medical assistance, and recreational purposes. The electric aircraft is emerging as the traffic solution, which has been the central problem in the city that has led to the loss of billions of shillings in revenue.

The Kenya Airways Authority (KQ) and two Brazilian firms have inked a deal that will see 40 flying taxis sold to KQ as part of the airline’s diversification through its new subsidiary Fahari Aviation.

“The journey to realize the dream of eVTOL vehicles in Kenya is on course, and the partnership with EVE UAM is a key achievement for us as part of the strategy to adopt new technologies as a growth strategy for the sustainable development of Africa,” Kenya Airways chief executive Allan Kilavuka said on Tuesday.

The national carrier launched its subsidiary -Fahari Aviation, in its attempt to generate revenue through a training course in operating drones for surveillance and agricultural support. Under the agreement, Eve will work with Fahari Aviation to establish the required operating environment and the urban air traffic management procedures.

The carrier announced its plan to start flying taxis in the country in February. According to the airline’s chief Executive officer Allan Kilavuka, the flying taxis will use vertical take-off and landing, the new technology that uses electric energy to hover.

The concept of flying taxis has been mobilized in many cities for various activities, especially in parcel delivery, urban taxi services, medical assistance, and recreational purposes. The electric aircraft is emerging as the traffic solution, which has been the central problem in the city that has led to the loss of billions of shillings in revenue.

The introduction of the flying taxis follows a deal laid down between Kenya Airways, whose aim was to introduce zero Electric Vertical Aircraft (EVA) into the transport sector.