Kenya Airways (KQ) has struck a deal to acquire flying taxis to help beat traffic in Nairobi.
According to a letter of intent signed between Fahari Aviation, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways, and EVE UAM, LLC, a subsidiary of Eve Holding, on Tuesday, June 21, Kenya will acquire 40 electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles famed as flying taxis.
Other than flying commuters across different parts of the country, flying taxis will also play a central role in transporting cargo.
The flying taxis will be critical as they are electric-powered and will help beat the increasing fuel prices in the country. It will also tackle the endemic problem of air pollution since the flying taxis have zero-emission.
The agreement will also see Kenya Airways engage in joint studies through a working group to develop and scale the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market and a business model for cargo drone operations in Kenya.
The electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft is a new technology that uses electricity to hover, take off, and land vertically, making it easier to move within cities while avoiding traffic jams.
"Urban air mobility is the future of transport and we are honoured to be the champions of this in the region. The journey to realise 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," stated Allan Kilavuka, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Airways.
Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve welcomed the partnership explaining that it will help Kenya address some of the integral issues such as traffic and delivery of cargo through air mobility.
"This is a new chapter of the Eve and Fahari Aviation partnership to strengthen both companies’ commitment to establishing the foundations that will sustainably support the ecosystem for urban air mobility in Kenya. Last year, we announced a collaboration to develop operational models for Fahari Aviation’s key markets, and today’s announcement confirms that it is evolving successfully," Stein remarked.
KQ, without revealing the charge rates for the flying taxis and the specific routes within the city that will be covered, announced that the flying taxis are innovative and sustainable solutions to address different issues such as traffic jams, sightseeing, parcel delivery, agriculture, and wildlife protection.
It is also part of the joint national plan aimed at tackling traffic in the city in collaboration with other infrastructural projects such as the 27-kilometer Nairobi Expressway project which has drastically reduced the time of commuting from Mlolongo to Westlands to about 15 minutes, a journey that could initially take 2 hours.
Other than the flying taxis and Nairobi Expressway, Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC) has also diversified its operations including buses that ply different routes within the city.
