FutureFlight

In partnership with Brazilian ground transportation company Grupo Comporte, Gol will lease or purchase 250 of Vertical Aerospace's VA-X4 four-passenger eVTOL aircraft from leasing group Avolon. The aircraft are part of a 500-aircraft deal that Avolon made with the UK manufacturer in June, when it also invested in the start-up along with American Airlines, Honeywell, and Rolls-Royce.

France-based flight booking platform Helipass will offer flights in Eve's four-passenger eVTOL aircraft from 2026, using its network of some 120 helicopters operators based in 600 locations across Europe. The deal announced on September 20 appears to be a similar business model to other alliances the Embraer subsidiary has reached with other charter flight retailers.

Several private equity and venture capital groups have supported a €10 million funding round for Ascendance Flight Technologies, which is aiming to bring a four-passenger hybrid-electric aircraft called Atea to market in 2025. The Atea's design is now being matured through work on scaled prototypes, and the France-based start-up intends to produce one or more technology demonstrators before flying a full-scale prototype in 2024.

Vertical Aerospace has signed up another highly experienced aviation manufacturer as part of its strategy to simplify and de-risk the development and certification of its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. The program's other key partners include Rolls-Royce (electric propulsion system), Honeywell (flight controls and avionics), and Solvay (composite aerostructures).

As it works to bring efficiency and transparency to the process for booking helicopter charter flights, UK-based GetHeli has opened its platform to international operators and launched a subscription service for brokers. In the longer term, its main objective is to create a flight booking platform to support eVTOL air taxi services.

The potential for advanced air mobility to play a part on the business aviation industry's future is reflected in the new aviation sector's growing prominence at the annual NBAA-BACE show. The event will include a panel discussion on October 13 including senior leaders from the FAA, U.S. Air Force and NASA.

Urban Air-Port says that its compact modular hubs require much less space than traditional heliports and can support a wide variety of electric vehicles, including eVTOL aircraft. Its alliance with Hyundai calls for the development of 65 of the facilities aross the U.S., Europe, and the Asia Pacific region, starting with a test site at Coventry in the UK.

Air New Zealand will provide technical guidance and support to Airbus as it develops its plans to bring hydrogen airliners capable of carrying up to 200 passengers on flights of up to around 2,300 miles by 2035. The airline is also looking at the potential for using battery-powered electric aircraft for shorter domestic flights.

The Shenzhen-based helicopter operator is partnering with EHang to conduct pilot flight trials to demonstrate the viability of eVTOL aircraft operating in the same low-altitude airspace as helicopters in China’s heavily populated Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Aero engines group Rolls-Royce is working with electric motor and controller maker Yasa and battery specialist Electroflight to conduct test flights with the all-electric Spirit of Innovation aircraft. The flights are part of the Accelerating the Electrification of Flight project, which is intended to stimulate the development of electric propulsion for advanced air mobility aircraft. The work is being supported by the Aerospace Technology Institute and the UK government.