The city of Arlington and Overair, an emerging global leader in advanced air mobility and developer of all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, have announced a partnership to develop and launch eVTOL operations. The effort will launch at Arlington Municipal Airport and extend throughout North Texas, the partners said.

The collaboration marks the first-ever direct partnership between a city in Texas and an eVTOL original equipment manufacturer, Overair said.

“Today’s announcement is a major step toward positioning Arlington as one of the first cities in the world to integrate fully electric AAM capabilities into its transportation ecosystem,” Overair Chief Commercial Officer Valerie Manning said in a statement. “Electric advanced air mobility is an example of transportation evolving with the needs of a growing society. We are incredibly excited to help drive this transportation evolution in North Central Texas and to expand our presence in this region, known for its talent and technology.”

Overair to establish a base of operations in North Central Texas

As part of the agreement, Overair said it also will establish a base of operations in North Central Texas, bringing new jobs to the area.

Overair said it expects the eVTOL air taxi operations to offer a direct connection to Arlington’s Entertainment District, the home of Six Flags Over Texas, Hurricane Harbor, the Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys, Arlington Renegades, and the WNBA’s Dallas Wings—as well as numerous restaurants, shopping centers, museums, and live entertainment venues.

The announcement comes after a recently announced agreement between Overair and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport to bring eVTOL operations to the DFW metro area.

“DFW Airport has a long history of building the groundwork today for the airport needs of the future,” DFW Airport EVP Innovation Paul Puopolo said. “By exploring the future of aviation now, we will help better position the entire DFW Metroplex for the next era of innovative air mobility.”

The city of Arlington’s strategic collaboration with Overair will expand the company’s AAM operations across North Texas by delivering fully integrated eVTOL ecosystem solutions — from vertiports and advanced charging infrastructure to the implementation of electric aerial rideshare.

Overair and the city of Arlington will establish a joint, cross-functional working group to oversee and address the project’s challenges and to ensure timely completion of milestones, including an initial feasibility study conducted by Overair to assess the demand for AAM services within the Arlington area and evaluate scenarios for flight operations in and out of vertiport locations.

“This partnership with Overair not only advances the city of Arlington as a leader in implementing innovative transportation solutions, it also provides high-tech and engineering jobs to our residents and the community at large; ultimately creating a new mobility ecosystem that will provide socio-economic progress for decades to come,” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said in a statement. “We’re excited to work with Overair to shape the future of transportation for our city and the DFW region.”

Overair’s Butterfly

With the development of the Butterfly aircraft—currently on schedule to meet the goals and timelines of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Innovate28 initiative to enable eVTOL air taxi operations by 2028—Overair said it wants to solve many of the logistical challenges associated with moving people and goods (commuter, charter, medical transport, cargo).

Overair said that the Butterfly’s unique proprietary propulsion system and oversized rotors allow it to fly safely, quietly, and efficiently in a wide variety of weather conditions.

Spun out of Karem Aircraft in 2020, the Santa Ana, California-based Overair announced the design of its vehicle, Butterfly, in 2021.

It said that Butterfly is a breakthrough aircraft with proprietary technologies derived from the Overair team’s decades of aerospace experience.

The company said the Butterfly creates critical power reserves using today’s commercially available battery cells, which translate into advances in safety and a superior experience for riders and communities.

Overair has operating partnerships with companies such as Hanwha Systems and Bristow Group. It completed its full-scale propulsion testing in the second quarter of 2022.

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