FutureFlight

Airbus this week secured major U.S. carrier Delta as a partner in its Zero E plans to bring a hydrogen-powered airliner to market in 2035. The airline will participate in research and development efforts to assess three concepts being considered as the basis for the new aircraft, joining other international scheduled carriers in the program.

Spain's Acciona group, which is involved in energy, transportation, and infrastructure sectors, has announced a $30 million strategic investment in Eve Urban Air Mobility. This deal is expected to close after the completion of the Embraer subsidiary's merger with Zanite Acquisition and subsequent flotation on the New York Stock Exchange. Meanwhile, parent company Embraer is expanding its Project EASy partnership to develop autonomous flight technologies.

Joby Aviation has completed and received approval of its first Systems Review and its first Compliance Review by the FAA for its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. The company said that the reviews, completed at the end of last year, provide it with confidence in its development approach, preliminary production design, and a defined path toward certification.

Textron will make Europe-based electric aircraft manufacturer Pipistrel the foundation of its new eAviation division. The U.S. aerospace group says it is ready to make significant investments to advance the company's plans to bring several new electric aircraft to market, including the 20-seat Miniliner regional airliner and the Nuuva family of autonomous freighters.

Deutsche Aircraft aims to bring a hydrogen-powered version of the Dornier 328 regional airliner to market. But first, it's working with Norway's North Energy Cluster to develop new e-fuels that it says will emit far less carbon than existing sustainable fuel. The partners will use the fuels to test operations with the converted D328eco under development by Deutsche Aircraft.

Eve Urban Air Mobility says it is the first eVTOL aircraft developer to start work on an agnostic plan for an urban air mobility concept of operations in the Miami area. Along with partners L3 Harris, Skyports, and the Community Air Mobility Initiative, it is engaging with local stakeholders to develop a blueprint for air services that others can adapt for their own business models. Miami-based airline GlobalX said it could take up to 200 of Eve's eVTOL aircraft and deploy these on multiple routes.

Solvay maintains that the correct use of advanced manufacturing materials and techniques could make all the difference in determining whether eVTOL aircraft being developed for advanced air mobility applications will be fit for their purpose. The company is already contributing to Vertical Aerospace's VX4 aircraft and has now launched a partnership with Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research. Driving down weight and maximizing safety are key objectives of Solvay's innovation teams.

Joby is aiming to get its Part 135 operators certificate from the FAA well ahead of its planned ride-sharing service launch in 2024. The company is also working to complete type and production certification for the four-passenger, all-electric aircraft that it has been developing over the past decade.

Archer says that during the second half of 2022, it will be ready to extend flight testing of its two-seat Maker eVTOL technology demonstrator to include a full transition from hover to cruise flight. Its engineering team is working toward the preliminary design review for the four-passenger production aircraft, which is expected to enter service in 2024.

In the next stage of a continuing development contract with the Afwerx Agility Prime program, U.S. Air Force pilots Hank Griffiths and Jonathan Appleby last week made what Beta Technologies said was the first crewed military flight in an eVTOL aircraft. They made the first in a series of test flights with the Alia 250 vehicle, which, along with several other eVTOL and eSTOL designs, is being evaluated by the Pentagon for possible military missions.