Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) developer Overair has announced a new partnership with Urban Movement Labs (UML) to bring urban air mobility to the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Dubbed the Urban Air Mobility Partnership, the alliance will focus on community government and industry engagement to ensure a collaborative approach to implementing safe, equitable, convenient, and sustainable urban air mobility technology.
In addition to working with UML to explore operational and infrastructure development considerations, Overair will also help study the noise impacts of eVTOL vehicles and support community engagement efforts to plan workforce and economic development opportunities within the new UAM industry.
Overair is a spin-off from Karem Aircraft and is located in California. The team used its decades of combined aerospace experience to develop its flagship eVTOL – Butterfly, which is what it proposes as an alternative transportation option within metropolitan areas. Each Butterfly will carry up to six people (five passengers and a pilot), or 1100 pounds of cargo. It will be able to travel distances of approximately 100 miles (161 km) and speeds up to 200 mph (322 km/h) while being powered by clean all-electric propulsion.
The Butterfly eVTOL aircraft features four large propellers, and it can operate in any weather conditions. The aircraft also guarantees zero emissions, and the noise level at hover is expected to not exceed 55 dBA, while at cruise, it would fall to about 30 dBA. Overair’s rapidly growing team plans to initiate commercial operations in 2026.
“Our partnership with Urban Movement Labs is a step forward on our path to future operations,” said Ben Tigner, CEO and Co-Founder of Overair. “The Los Angeles metro area can benefit greatly from advanced air mobility, given the increased travel times in Southern California on a daily basis. Working together with UML on planning efforts grounded in community engagement, we’re on the path to providing reliable, affordable, equitable, and sustainable transportation options to the city of Los Angeles and surrounding areas.”
Overair and UML will begin work immediately to discuss creating infrastructure and progress in the Los Angeles area in conjunction with other companies within the partnership.
