FutureFlight

Private aviation group Sino Jet is stepping up its plans to be a leader in China’s emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) sector following its announcement in August that it will buy 100 of the AE200 eVTOL aircraft being developed by the Aerofugia subsidiary of the Geely automotive group.

Lilium Appoints ArcosJet as Authorized eVTOL Aircraft Dealer in Middle East

Dubai, UAE-based aircraft broker ArcosJet has become the first authorized dealer for the Lilium Jet eVTOL aircraft in the Middle East. Lilium announced the appointment of its fifth international dealership on October 31, assigning its exclusivity for sales to private owners in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Cyprus. 

Vman Aviation Services is betting that India's growing population and strained transportation infrastructure provide an ideal launch pad for Lyte Aviation's planned LA-44 SkyBus hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft. The lessor has agreed to buy 10 of the 40-seater tandem tiltwing aircraft, which the manufacturer says has a projected range of 1,000 kilometers and will be able to operate from 40-square-meter landing pads.

Vancouver-based rotorcraft operator Helijet agreed to buy up to eight of the five-passenger Alia eVTOL aircraft, with plans to operate these in southwestern British Columbia and the wider Pacific Northwest region from 2026. The Canadian province's carbon tax has created a strong incentive for aircraft operators to consider switching to electric propulsion.

As Volocopter prepares to launch commercial air taxi services with its two-seat VoloCity eVTOL aircraft at the Paris Olympics next year, the German startup has been showing off its 2X prototype in a series of flight demonstrations across the U.S. this fall as part of its efforts to expand into international markets. 

TCab Tech has concluded its inaugural round of flight testing for the E20 eVTOL, after being awarded a special flight permit and aircraft registration certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in June. The eVTOL aircraft, registered with tail number BO-EEW, underwent hover, transition, and cruise flight phases at Dongyang Hengdian General Airport in Zhejiang Province.

Lyte Aviation is exploring more use cases for its planned 40-seat SkyBus LA-44 VTOL aircraft with new proposals for scheduled flights to connect major cities like Paris with regionals like Twente in the east of the Netherlands. According to the European start-up, its hybrid-electric commuter airliner could bring convenient downtown-to-downtown air service to any number of cities within a radius of 1,000 kilometers (625 miles).

The UK’s Sustainable Aviation Test Environment (SATE) consortium has conducted a flight trial with ARC Aerosystems’ C-600 uncrewed air vehicle (UAV). Working with Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd. (HIAL), the manufacturer conducted a tethered flight test at Wick John O’Groats Airport in the north of Scotland.

European Medical Drone is to start using early examples of Dufour Aerospace’s Aero2 uncrewed VTOL utility aircraft under experimental rules approved by EASA. Under the terms of an agreement signed on October 25, the Sweden-based group will receive an X2.3 prototype of the Aero2 in 2024 to prepare for operations with 10 series production examples of the hybrid-electric tiltwing aircraft it has agreed to buy, with deliveries to start in 2026.

Beta Technologies’ Alia prototype has completed a 2,000-mile journey from Vermont to Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, where the U.S. Air Force’s 413th Squadron will use the electric fixed-wing airplane for hands-on experimentation and training. The delivery comes shortly after Beta’s installation of an electric aircraft charging station at the base.