Eve Air Mobility's eVTOL Prototype Completes First Flight

January 8, 2026

Eve Air Mobility's prototype eVTOL makes its first flight. (Image: Eve Air Mobility)

Eve Air Mobility recently completed the first flight of its uncrewed full-scale electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) prototype at Embraer’s test facility in São Paulo, Brazil.

The inaugural flight initiates Eve’s flight test phase and confirms the integration of key systems, including the fifth-generation fly-by-wire concept and the fixed-pitch lifter rotors. The company will perform multiple flights following today’s hover flight, gradually expanding the envelope to transition into full wingborne flights throughout 2026.

“Today, Eve flew. This is a historical milestone for our employees, customers, investors and the entire ecosystem,” said Johann Bordais, CEO of Eve. "This flight validates our plan, which has been executed with precision to deliver the best solution for the market. We were able to capture high-fidelity data that will allow us to move forward with safety and confidence towards the certification path.”

Eve will manufacture six conforming prototypes to conduct the flight test campaign, aiming for certification. The company continues to engage with Brazil’s Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), Eve’s eVTOL primary certifying authority, to advance the certification process. Looking ahead, Eve expects type certification, first deliveries and entry into service in 2027.

“We exercised our control laws, verified the integration of the eight lifters and assessed energy management, the aircraft’s dynamic response and noise footprint,” said Luiz Valentini, Chief Technology Officer at Eve. “The prototype behaved as predicted by our models. With these data points, we will expand the envelope and progress toward transition to wingborne flight in a disciplined manner, ramping up to hundreds of flights throughout 2026 and building the knowledge required for type certification.”

“This flight gives the product a clear green light to advance what matters to operators: reliability, efficiency and simplicity,” said Jorge Bittercourt, Chief Product Officer at Eve. “We validated critical elements, from our lifter architecture to aircraft flight mechanics, and now we move into the flight test phase, aiming to advance the product maturity.”

Eve Air Mobility's eVTOL prototype is fully electric with a 60 mile range and enough seating for up to four passengers, or six total passengers in autonomous configurations.

Next steps for the program include progressive envelope expansion and transitions to wingborne flight, as well as continued engagement with ANAC, other regulators and validating authorities, including FAA and EASA.

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