FutureFlight

ZeroAvia will soon be flight testing its 600-kW ZA600 hydrogen-electric powertrain on a pair of Dornier 228 twin-turboprop aircraft, with one now positioned at its California headquarters and the other in the UK. The company says it will soon announce new partners to evaluate potential applications for converted aircraft.

Avionord says that it plans to add up to 15 of Manta's hybrid-electric ANN eVTOL aircraft to its fleet of business jets and helicopters, beginning in 2026. The Italian operator specializes in emergency medical and organ transplant flights and believes that eVTOL aircraft could improve the efficiency of these operations by avoiding airports and ground transportation.

Hydrogen fuel cell developer Hydroplane has signed its second U.S. Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer contract to demonstrate an engineering-model hydrogen fuel cell-based powerplant in a ground and flight demonstration in partnership with the University of Houston. The company expects to fly its demonstrator aircraft next year.

South Korean mobility platform TMAP has agreed to join Joby Aviation’s aerial ridesharing partnership with SK Telecom. TMAP extensive transportation and mapping data will inform the partners’ design of optimal air taxi routes, infrastructure networks, and an overall mobility service that suits the preferences of Korean consumers.

Work for Germany's new Air Mobility Initiative is largely centered on the Bavarian city of Ingolstadt and is being conducted by a large team of partners led by Airbus, which is developing a four-passenger eVTOL aircraft called CityAIrbus NextGen. Federal and state governments are backing the project, which is part of Airbus's wider efforts to develop ecosystems for eVTOL air services.

While several companies work to advance fuel cell technology using hydrogen gas for generally small aircraft, the application of liquid hydrogen likely will show the most promise for larger airliners due to its superior energy density and versatility. The use of liquid hydrogen stored in a cryogenic tank onboard to power turbine engines presents the most straightforward means of introducing a passenger-carrying aircraft to the market, according to experts in the field.

For flight testing as part of NASA's Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration program, a 50-seat Dash 7 airliner operated by Air Tindi in Canada's remote Northwestern Territories will be converted to a hybrid-electric propulsion system using MagniX's Magni650 motors in combination with its Pratt & Whitney PT6 engines.

With the basis for type certification settled for its SD-05 personal eVTOL vehicle, SkyDrive will agree to a test plan with the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau and then build a preproduction prototype for flight testing. The start-up, which now has some support from carmaker Suzuki, aims to begin deliveries and commercial operations of the all-electric vehicle in 2025.

As it prepares for closing a business combination with Zanite and a New York Stock Exchange listing on May 9, Eve Urban Air Mobility reported an increase in provisional sales commitments for its planned four-passenger eVTOL aircraft to 1,825 from 19 customers. The subsidiary of Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer also confirmed that it plans to publish an air taxi concept of operations for Rio de Janeiro.

Low-fare carrier EasyJet has begun working with GKN Aerospace to support the adoption of the OEM’s hydrogen combustion (H2JET) and hydrogen fuel cell (H2GEAR) programs. Plans call for EasyJet to provide insights into operational requirements and economics among other considerations.