The company also making an unspecified investment into the Netherland-based PAL-V, which is gearing to make its first delivery this year.
PAL-V (Personal Air and Land Vehicle), the Raamsdonksveer, Netherlands-based company that manufactures flying cars, announced it has received an order of more than 100 PAL-V Liberty flying cars and an investment into its business from Aviterra, a Dubai-based company.
Aviterra, which is backed by one of the founders of executive aviation company Jetex, sees PAL-V’s appeal in its last-mile solution and regional air mobility offerings.
Loggia Investment, the investment arm of Aviterra, has made an unspecified investment in PAL-V and established a partnership for the Middle East and Africa region.
Mouhanad Wadaa, Managing Director of Aviterra, emphasised the enhanced travel options the Liberty provided and said: “PAL-V is the perfect tool for our customers’ regional travel requirements, offering a combination of flying and driving. It’s truly an innovation that will change mobility as we know it.
“While running a business aviation company, we’ve always kept a close eye on the emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry. PAL-V’s long-standing presence and adherence to existing regulations allow our customers to safely FlyDrive using existing air and road infrastructure.
“Furthermore, PAL-V is the only player that combines flying and driving into one vehicle. No other player in the market offers this combination and can realistically deliver the vehicles in the near future.”
PAL-V Liberty, known as the world’s first real flying car due to the combination of a gyroplane and a car, addresses the need to travel independently from roads and enhance travel flexibility. The Liberty has a flight range of 500kms and a maximum airspeed of 180 kmph. It can accommodate two people. It takes nearly 5 minutes to transform and can fly up to 11,000 feet altitude.
The company was formed in 2008, and is in the process of making its first deliveries this year.
PAL-V’s CEO and Founder, Robert Dingemanse, welcomed the partnership and said: “Aviterra have vast experience in aviation, understand our certification process, and have an excellent reputation in the business aviation industry. They are a strong partner to support our sales and marketing activities in the Middle East and Africa.”
PAL-V is setting up regional offices around the globe to grow its flying car business. These regional offices will be hubs for its sales, maintenance, flight training, and assembly locations.