LYTE Aviation, the UK-based developer of high-capacity hybrid-electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, has appointed James Hogan, former President and CEO of Etihad Airways, as Strategic Advisor. Hogan joins in his capacity as Principal of Group Vanguard Holdings, the investment and advisory vehicle he established after winding down Knighthood Global, his previous consulting firm.
Hogan led Etihad from 2006 to 2017, overseeing its growth into what the company described as a US$20 billion global aviation and travel group. He has also held senior roles at Gulf Air, BMI, Forte Hotels and Hertz, and began his career at Ansett Airlines in 1975. He was inducted into the Air Transport World Hall of Fame in 2024 and appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017.
“In business, I am passionate about innovation, about new global markets and about winning,” Hogan said. “These are exactly the qualities I see in Freshta Farzam and the LYTE Aviation team.”
LYTE is developing three aircraft: the SkyBus, a 40-seat passenger craft with a target range of 1,000 kilometres; the SkyTruck, a cargo variant with a 4.5-tonne capacity; and the SkyClinic, a proposed airborne medical facility designed to enable surgical procedures on board. The company is also developing a 2.5 MW dual-fuel hybrid-electric propulsion system intended to support the SkyBus’s range targets. LYTE says it has completed a digital twin of the aircraft and is preparing for its next development phase.
The company occupies an unusual position in the eVTOL sector, which has largely concentrated on small urban air taxis. LYTE is betting on a different market: higher-capacity regional transport and specialised commercial applications at scale.
Freshta Farzam, Founder and CEO of LYTE Aviation, said the appointment reflected the company’s readiness to move into a new stage of growth. “Our focus now is on building the foundations for the next phase of development, with the ambition of bringing our aircraft into operation within the next decade,” she said.
