(Bloomberg) -- Jet leasing firm Avolon Holdings Ltd. agreed to supply the owner of Turkey’s Freebird Airlines with as many as 100 flying taxis, the last in a $2 billion batch of the battery-powered aircraft from U.K. startup Vertical Aerospace Ltd.

The deal with Istanbul-based Gozen Holding covers the sale or lease of up to 50 of Vertical’s VX4 aircraft, with an option for up to 50 more, according to a statement Tuesday. The deal creates a strategic partnership between Avolon and Gozen to commercialize electric, vertical takeoff-and-landing craft in Turkey.

The agreement marks a milestone for Avolon, one of the world’s biggest jet-leasing firms, which made an early bet on flying taxis. In June, the Dublin-based company agreed to buy 500 eVTOLs from Vertical, subject to conditions including regulatory approval.  

“We will continue working with other partners that want to purchase or lease the VX4 in order to fully size the potential market and demand for this aircraft,” Avolon Chief Executive Officer Domhnal Slattery said in the statement.

Avolon has now assigned all 500 of the Vertical aircraft it committed to purchase just nine months ago. Vertical, based in Bristol, England, has targeted certification for 2024.

Like Gozen, many of the customers -- including Brazil’s largest airline, Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes, Japan Airlines Co. and AirAsia of Malaysia -- operate in crowded urban markets. 

EVTOLs have been touted as an environmentally friendly way for airlines to diversify and grow their businesses, offering a cheaper alternative to helicopters and faster trips than taxicabs or Uber.

Gozen, which also has a travel agency business, said it sees potential in reducing the environmetal footprint of tourists going to attractions such as Troy and Cappadocia.

(Updates with CEO comment in fourth paragraph. A previous version of the story corrected the spelling of the company’s name in the headline)

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