Moya Aero

Moya Aero is a Brazilian aerospace startup based in São José dos Campos, São Paulo, that designs, manufactures and operates uncrewed electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for cargo delivery and precision logistics within the advanced air mobility segment. The company was founded in 2020 (August 2020 per its Gust profile) by Renata Marins Paolillo (COO) and Alexandre Zaramela (CEO), both described as former Embraer engineers, and is incorporated as a C-corp under the name MOYA AERO, Inc.

The company's product is the Moya eVTOL, an autonomous heavy-lift cargo drone with a tandem tilt-wing configuration: it takes off and lands with the fuselage parallel to the ground, then tilts its wings so the fuselage sits in an almost vertical position during forward flight. Published specifications list a cruise speed of 150 km/h, a 300 km range, 42 minutes of flight time, a maximum payload of 200 kg, and a maximum liquid load volume of 550 liters, using four propellers and four battery-powered electric motors, a carbon fiber composite airframe and fixed tricycle landing gear. A company profile on Gust describes a planned family of all-electric unmanned aerial vehicles carrying up to 300 kg, up to 250 km, at 180 km/h. Targeted applications include point-to-point package logistics, delivery of urgent medical supplies and components to remote or poorly served areas, and spraying of liquids over farmland.

Moya Aero positions its concept as complementing existing cargo channels by being faster than trucks and less costly than helicopters, with stated goals of zero-CO₂ air logistics, connecting remote regions with supplies, improving crop-management efficiency and making hazardous flying safer. Its English-language website also references advanced biofuel technology as part of its sustainability positioning.

Founding story

Moya Aero was founded in 2020 by Renata Marins Paolillo, who serves as COO, and Alexandre Zaramela, who serves as CEO; both are described as former Embraer engineers. The company is headquartered in São José dos Campos, the center of Brazil's aerospace industry.

Business model

Moya Aero designs, manufactures and operates cargo eVTOL aircraft, with commercial traction to date taking the form of letters of intent from aviation, infrastructure, aerial-survey and mining customers for fleets of aircraft. The company stated an intention to begin selling its heavy-lift eVTOL air cargo aircraft by the end of 2025.

Planned sales of heavy-lift eVTOL air cargo aircraft, alongside operation of cargo delivery and precision logistics services; a $2 million FINEP government innovation grant has supported development.

Traction

Letters of intent covering 114 aircraft have been announced with four customers between April 2023 and November 2024. A full prototype flew for the first time on November 15, 2023, and a 20%-scale demonstrator completed its first transition flight on August 22, 2024. The company received a $2 million FINEP grant, was selected for the Techstars Los Angeles accelerator in 2023, and was named among eleven GoAERO Stage 1 winners in February 2025.

Latest developments

In September 2024 Moya Aero published footage of the first transition flight of its 20%-scale uncrewed tiltbody eVTOL prototype, flown on August 22, 2024, and indicated plans for full-scale prototype development. In November 2024 Fototerra and MineToo signed letters of intent for 10 and 50 aircraft. In February 2025 the company was announced as one of eleven GoAERO Stage 1 winners in the Boeing-sponsored emergency response aircraft competition.