SkyDrive Raises Further Capital Through Series C Funding Round
Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive has secured additional capital through a Series C funding round involving a third-party allotment of new shares to its existing backer, Suzuki Motor Corporation. Announcing the agreement on January 10, the company did not disclose how much has been raised but said the amount will accelerate the development of its three-seat aircraft.
SkyDrive and Suzuki are jointly exhibiting at the Global Trade Show, which is part of the Gujarat Global Summit 2024 event that opened on January 9 and runs through January 13. At the booth of its partner, Maruti-Suzuki India Limited, the company is displaying the SD-05 one-fifth-scale model. The partners said they are exploring opportunities to develop eVTOL air services in the Indian market.
In October, SkyDrive received funding from the Japanese government. It aims to achieve provisional airworthiness approval in time for the aircraft to be demonstrated during the Osaka World Expo in 2025, but full type certification and clearance for commercial operations with the new design it unveiled last year could now take until 2028.
Airports Group Fraport Launches Vertiport Partnership with Lilium
Fraport, a Germany-based group that operates 30 international airports across four continents, is collaborating with eVTOL aircraft developer Lilium to plan for new air mobility infrastructure. Announcing the partnership on January 10, the companies said their work will explore the planning and approval steps needed to build and operate vertiports at airports. They said this would involve a “regulatory action plan” for Germany and other European Union countries.
On January 9, Lilium reported that it had integrated the wing for its first full-scale Lilium Jet prototype with the fuselage. At its headquarters near Munich, the company is preparing to start flight testing the six-passenger model during 2024 as it works toward type certification in time for commercial operations to begin in 2026. The company says it will use seven of the aircraft, featuring 30 ducted fan electric engines installed in the wing and canard, to complete flight testing.
ZeroAvia Develops Hydrogen Fuel Supply Plans for UK Airports
Hydrogen propulsion system developer ZeroAvia is partnering with energy group ScottishPower to supply UK airports with fuel supplies. The agreement announced on January 10 is part of wider initiatives by ZeroAvia to put in place infrastructure to support operators of the regional airliners it is proposing to convert to hydrogen fuel.
ScottishPower’s existing energy distribution network covers Scotland, as well as northwest England and north Wales. The group’s energy-generation operations are already 100 percent renewable and powered by UK wind farms, with retail and business customers having access to so-called green tariffs for clean energy. The Scottish government has set a target for the country to achieve five gigawatts of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen production by 2030, amounting to half of the overall UK target, and new hydrogen production initiatives are also planned for the northwest of England.
Provisional customers for ZeroAvia’s hydrogen propulsion systems include Scotland-based regional airline start-up EcoJet. The company already has fuel-supply partnerships with AGS Airports’ facilities in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as with Birmingham International Airport in England, Fortum in Finland, and Shell in the Netherlands. It is developing propulsion systems for aircraft seating between 20 and 80 seats.
GKN Aerospace Invests in More Sustainable Aerospace Additive Manufacturing
GKN Aerospace is investing £50 million ($63 million) to establish a center of excellence for sustainable additive manufacturing at its facility at Trollhättan in Sweden. The facility is expected to be operational before the end of 2024 and will initially focus on producing aircraft engine components.
The aerostructures group aims to reduce the amount of raw materials needed to make these components by up to 80 percent. This will be achieved by replacing casting and forging processes with additive technology that involves layered construction using metal wire or powder fused with lasers.
GKN is involved in developing propulsion and airframe technology for new-generation airliners and is a key supplier to eVTOL aircraft manufacturer Vertical Aerospace. It has facilities in the UK, the Netherlands, the U.S., and Sweden, where the government is backing the new center of excellence with £12 million in funding. The Trollhättan facility will involve the creation of 150 skilled jobs.
