FutureFlight

An MOU between ZeroAvia and Fortum will see the companies explore the development of hydrogen production and refueling infrastructure in Scandinavia.

One of Bell’s Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) experimental cargo drones crashed March 14 in a field near Mineral Wells, Texas, in what is being categorized as a “loss of control” accident by the FAA. 

Beta Technologies’ electric aircraft will soon be making cargo deliveries in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE has given United Parcel Service a temporary license to begin testing electric aircraft for cargo operations within its borders. UPS will use Beta's conventional electric airplane model, called the CX300, before introducing Beta's Alia-250 eVTOL aircraft in the UAE.

Autoflight has secured a major order from Singapore-based fleet management and air transport company EvFly for 205 Prosperity I and Prosperity Cargo eVTOL aircraft. Expected to be delivered in 2025, the first 10 Prosperity aircraft will operate in Middle Eastern markets such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, and EvFly plans to eventually deploy additional units in Asia and Africa.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has issued its newest request for information (RFI) to public and private-sector providers in support of the 2023 Drone Enable Symposium, which is scheduled for December 5 to 7 at ICAO headquarters in Montreal.

During the Arab Aviation Summit in Ras Al Khaimah, Canadian start-up VPorts signed deals with three advanced air mobility (AAM) companies—SkyDrive, Electra.aero, and Falcon Aviation—that will help it stand up and operate an AAM business park in Dubai. The company announced plans to build and operate a vertiport at the Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.

Autonomous flight technology developer Reliable Robotics has partnered with the satellite communications provider Inmarsat to help integrate remotely piloted aircraft into the U.S. National Airspace System with a solution specifically designed for uncrewed aircraft systems. 

Vertical Aerospace, a UK-based start-up developing the VX4 eVTOL aircraft, has opened a facility in Bristol dedicated to designing, testing, and manufacturing batteries for electric aircraft, the company announced today. The Vertical Energy Centre (VEC) is the UK’s most advanced aerospace battery facility, says the company.

Air transport information technology specialist SITA has chosen Volocopter as its preferred digital and IT systems partner for vertiports, while SITA becomes the latest investor to join Volocopter’s Series E funding round.

Electric aviation company Beta Technologies, which has been developing an eVTOL aircraft since 2017, plans to certify a conventional airplane version of its all-electric model. Called the CX300, the fixed-wing aircraft will look similar to the company’s six-seat Alia-250 eVTOL aircraft, but it will take off and land like a regular airplane.