UAE's Air Chateau International Pledges $27.2 Million to Propel eVTOL Ecosystem Forward

Dubai-based helicopter operator, Air Chateau International, plans to invest 100 million UAE dirhams ($27.2 million) over the next three years to enhance infrastructure, aiming to advance the electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) ecosystem in the UAE.

In November 2022, the company announced a $500 million order with US-based Archer Aviation at the Dubai Airshow to purchase 100 all-electric aircraft. These next-generation air taxis are expected to be operational in the UAE by 2026.

“The aviation industry in the UAE is rapidly adapting advancements in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and we want to drive this innovation further by building the necessary infrastructure to make this happen,” stated Shilton Tony Irudayaraj, Co-founder and CEO of Air Chateau.

Archer Aviation had previously partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) in April to expedite commercial air taxi operations in the UAE, including in-country manufacturing and training. Air Chateau, certified by the General Civil Aviation Authority of the UAE, operates from Dubai Helipark in Dubai South and aims to establish a similar ecosystem in Dubai.

“We are looking at a AED 100 million infrastructure investment over the next two to three years, which will lay the foundation for a mixed development that will include vertiports, hangars, a training academy for pilots and engineers, an MRO [maintenance, repair, overhaul] service, luxury lounges, everything that is needed to make us future-ready for eVTOL adoption,” Irudayaraj added.

This investment follows Air Chateau's partnership with Swedish vertiport provider Kookiejar (KOS) in November 2022 to establish vertiport operations at Dubai World Central, marking the initial step towards realizing their eVTOL plans.

Source: Bindu Rai / Zawya