FutureFlight

In September, Airbus became the latest major aircraft manufacturer, after Embraer, Boeing, and Bell, to announce plans to bring an eVTOL aircraft to market. The CityAirbus NextGen is a fixed-wing, four-passenger design promising range of up to around 50 miles that is expected to enter commercial service in 2025. Despite the battering its airliner business has taken from Covid, Airbus is ready to make big investments in the electric aircraft as part of its wider strategy to decarbonize air transport.

Connectivity technology group Skyward is improving the support its platform provides for drone operators using the FAA's low-altitude authorization and notification capability while investing in longer-term advances in the use of 5G networks. Beyond existing drone services, the improved connectivity will support autonomous operations for eVTOLs and other new air vehicles.

The Japanese carrier has agreed to either lease or purchase up to 100 of Vertical Aerospace's VA-X4 four-passenger eVTOL aircraft from leasing group Avolon, which has provisionally agreed to include up to 500 of the vehicle in its portfolio. Japan's declared plans to support the launch of urban air mobility services include a high-profile public launch around the Osaka Kansai Expo in 2025, and Avolon, Vertical, and rival eVTOL developer Volocopter are all now involved as partners.

Leasing group Amedeo believes that airlines will see the Electric Regional Aircraft as an opportunity to open scheduled regional passenger and cargo services to smaller airports that can't support larger equipment. It has signed a letter of intent with Aura Aero to take delivery of 200 of the hybrid-electric model starting in 2026.

UP.Partners has closed its venture capital fund with $230 million raised to invest in start-ups developing future methods of mobility. Among the companies supported by the group are early-stage start-ups with no revenues and late-stage product-focused companies that are growing revenues rapidly. Its investments include eVTOL aircraft developer Beta Technologies.

Austrian company Schwarzmuller has developed a trailer that it calls a Mobile Vertipad to allow Volocopter's VoloDrone to operate almost anywhere without the need for special ground infrastructure. The autonomous eVTOL can carry freight loads of up to 440 pounds on trips of up to around 25 miles. It was publicly demonstrated for the first time this week in an operation conducted with Volocopter logistics partner and investor DB Schenker.

Israel-based Air this week unveiled the design for its fixed-wing, two-seat Air One eVTOL, which it aims to bring to market in 2024. The company expects to begin unmanned flight trials with a full-scale prototype early in 2022, with piloted flights set to commence next June. It has started to take preorders for the vehicle, with a base price yet to be published.

Brazilian private aviation group Avantto believes it could play a crucial role in making urban air mobility's lofty ambitions become a reality. It has committed to buying 100 of the four-passenger eVTOL aircraft being developed by Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions and will work with the Embraer subsidiary to turn theory into practice.

Reliable Robotics has now raised more than $133 million to support its ambitions to certify an existing cargo aircraft to be operated remotely in commercial cargo services. The company, which has been flight testing a Cessna 208 Grand Caravan, is in the process of establishing its own cargo operation to serve as an early adopter and test bed for the autonomous technology, which includes full autoland capability.

Aircraft engine maker GE Aviation is among 11 new investors in Universal Hydrogen, which is working on plans to convert aircraft to hydrogen propulsion. This involves storing green liquid hydrogen in capsules that can be delivered directly to aircraft without requiring any new ground infrastructure.