Aircraft
Indian Lessor Agrees to Buy Lyte's 40-Seat VTOL Aircraft
Vman Aviation Services' current portfolio includes helicopters, regional airliners and training aircraft
Lyte Aviation's LA-44 SkyBus VTOL aircraft
Lyte Aviation's LA-44 SkyBus VTOL aircraft could operate in Indian cities such as Mumbai. (Image: Lyte Aviation)

Indian aircraft leasing group Vman Aviation Services has agreed to add Lyte Aviation’s planned 40-seat LA-44 SkyBus hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft to its portfolio. A deal announced on November 1 covers preorders for 10 of the aircraft being developed by the European start-up with deposits to be paid at a later date as Lyte Aviation gets closer to anticipated type certification later this decade.

Vman was founded in 2021 and is based in Gandhinagar in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Its portfolio consists of an Airbus H125 helicopter, a pair of ATR 72-600 regional airliners, and 10 Piper training aircraft. It holds further orders for 10 of Hindustan Aeronautics’ Light Utility Helicopters for entry into service in 2025 or 2026 and another 30 unspecified training aircraft to arrive in 2025.