Mwasalat agrees provisional deal with Odys Aviation for uncrewed VTOL freighters

Oman’s national transport company, Mwasalat, has provisionally agreed to operate up to 25 of the Laila uncrewed aircraft being developed by Odys Aviation. Under the terms of an agreement announced on July 17, the companies will work together to develop plans for experimental cargo flights in unpopulated areas of the Gulf state using a pre-production example of the aircraft in 2025.

Laila is a hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft that will have a payload of 132 pounds and a range of 391 nm. Mwasalat expects the aircraft to open up new air freight services in parts of Oman that are now inaccessible due to a lack of infrastructure and challenging local geography.

According to California-based Odys, it already has an established relationship with Oman’s Civil Aviation Authority and aims to get full regulatory approval for the planned operations. During the pilot program, Mwasalat expects to make the Laila aircraft available for Oman Post and Asyad Group.