FutureFlight

South Korea's Hanwha Systems is investing a further $145 million in Overair to increase funds available to bring the six-seat Butterfly eVTOL into commercial service in 2026. The California-based start-up says it is on track to achieve the key program milestone of starting flight tests with a conforming prototype in the second half of 2023.

Air transport information technology specialist SITA is equipping a vertiport testbed set up by Skyports at Cergy-Pontoise Airport near Paris to evaluate how eVTOL air taxi services can be smoothly operated. The partners want to demonstrate how biometric technology could effectively interface with flight booking apps to make boarding aircraft quick and easy.

Ampaire is developing hybrid-electric propulsion systems with which to convert existing aircraft. As part of its wider business goal to expand electrification in aviation, the company is partnering with sustainable infrastructure specialist Black & Veatch to identify airports worldwide that are willing and able to establish green recharging capability using solar power and new energy storage techniques.

Corporacion America Airports is now working with Eve and rival eVTOL aircraft developer Vertical Aerospace to prepare plans for vertiports in Latin America and Europe. The work will begin with assessments of existing ground infrastructure and the regulatory environment for establishing new facilities in urban areas.

Wisk has forged a partnership with local government leaders in the Australian state of Queensland to pave the way to fully autonomous eVTOL aircraft flights. This builds on similar work underway with stakeholders in New Zealand, where the company has been flight-testing its Cora technology demonstrator.

Universal Hydrogen has drawn a firm order from prospective Massachusetts-based regional carrier Connect Airlines to covert 75 ATR 72-600 regional turboprops to hydrogen power. Connect Airlines, which still awaits U.S. Department of Transportation clearance to fly Dash 8-400s from points between the Northeast and Midwest U.S. cities and Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, would take delivery of the first converted ATR in 2025.

Monte Aircraft Leasing has agreed to buy 100 ZeroAvia ZA600 powerplants as part of an agreement to provide aircraft leasing and financing instruments for operators that run zero-emission flights. Under the deal, ZeroAvia will install the hydrogen fuel cell powertrains on existing and new Cessna Caravan, DHC-6 Twin Otter, Dornier 228, and HAL-228 regional turboprops. ZeroAvia and Monte aim to retrofit the aircraft for clients starting in 2024.

Two eSTOL aircraft pioneers, Electra and Airflow, are combining their operations and collectively hold provisional sales commitments for almost 800 units. The merged venture will now seek new investors as it advances plans to start flight testing prototypes for aircraft that will be able to operate from altitudes of between 100 and 300 feet.

Helicopter operator Falcon Aviation says it is well placed to be the launch operator for eVTOL aircraft in the Middle East and North Africa. Under a partnership with Eve Urban Air Mobility, it plans to introduce 35 of the manufacturer's four-passenger eVTOL vehicles to its fleet beginning in 2026, initially deploying them on sightseeing flights from the Atlantis the Palm luxury resort.

The four-passenger VoloConnect eVTOL will be able to fly almost three times farther than Volocopter's smaller VoloCity and VoloDrone designs. The company this week reported that it started its flight test campaign on May 20, as part of a plan to complete type certification in 2026.