Clay Lacy Aviation and Overair partner to introduce Advanced Air Mobility to Southern California

Overair announced new strategic collaboration with Clay Lacy Aviation to establish emission-free, ultra-quiet electric aviation operations throughout the Southern California region. Companies will develop together a concept of operations for Overair Butterfly eVTOL aircraft, which begins testing in early 2024 following the completion of first full-scale prototype last year, as well as other advanced aircraft. Overair and Clay Lacy plan to develop electric charging facilities at John Wayne Airport FBO in Orange County and Van Nuys Airport, located in Los Angeles. Finally, the partnership will explore the establishment of new vertiport facilities and services across Southern California.

Valerie Manning, Chief Commercial Officer at Overair, commented: “Advanced air mobility is an ideal addition to Southern California’s transportation network, creating a new option for fast, safe, and quiet transportation in the region. We have been working with our partners at Clay Lacy for over a year and are delighted to announce our shared plan. We are confident that this strategic collaboration will leverage our respective strengths to create an AAM network that will positively impact local residents and visitors alike.”

Per the agreement, Clay Lacy will focus on development of charging infrastructure and aircraft operation logistics. Overair will bring expertise in aircraft integration, maintenance, certification, user and vertiport software integration, flight path planning and public awareness building to the collaboration.

Scott Cutshall, SVP Strategy and Sustainability at Clay Lacy, said: “Ultra-quiet all-electric aircraft bring the promise of convenient and efficient transportation, easing traffic congestion and reducing travel times. This collaboration with the Overair team brings us one step closer to better serving the residents and communities in Southern California.”

“As we continue to make strides developing Butterfly, we’re also focused on partnering with infrastructure leaders to ensure that operations using this new mode of transit can be scaled quickly and efficiently,” said John Criezis, head of mobility operations at Overair.