FutureFlight

Skyryse is working to certify the FlightOS automation system with general aviation manufacturers, including helicopter maker Robinson. With further funding from venture capital groups, the California-based start-up has now raised $250 million.

Reliable Robotics recently raised $100 million in a funding round that gives a significant boost to the Mountain View, California company’s efforts to develop automatic systems that will make flying safer and eventually remove pilots from the flight deck. Pilots will still be involved in the operation of the aircraft, initially Cessna Caravan single-engine turboprops, but they will be based on the ground and will simply be available to assist when needed.

This week, Volocopter displayed its VoloCity eVTOL aircraft in Rome as part of an effort to win public acceptance for urban air mobility. Italy's civil aviation authority and air traffic management agency are supporting the aims of a partnership that brings the German start-up together with Atlantia, which is one of its investors, and airports group Aeroporti di Roma.

Eve Urban Air Mobility is working with multiple partners, including prospective customers Helisul Aviation and Flapper, to test the viability and public acceptance of flights in its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft. An initial trial in Rio de Janeiro will use chartered helicopters.

Airport operators in Rome, Venice, Bologna, and Nice have launched a project dedicated to the development of urban air mobility infrastructure at the international level called Urban Blue.

Having shelved plans to bring its SpaceJet M90 regional airliner to market, Mitsubishi is focused on offering a zero-carbon version of regional airliners, like the former CRJ twinjet. ZeroAvia's plans to certify its hydrogen fuel cell powertrains for commercial airlines also received backing this week from Alaska Air.

Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the launch customers for Vertical Aerospace's VA-X4 eVTOL aircraft, has expressed an interest in operating flights in and out of Heathrow Airport as part of a planned new all-electric, short-haul network of domestic flights in the UK. The airport is partnering with the manufacturer to understand how to integrate the new aircraft.

According to Helipass, sightseeing flights are likely to be among the first main use cases for new eVTOL aircraft, as well as city to airport transfer services. The company is urging all prospective eVTOL manufacturers to make their aircraft available to as many operators and other partners as possible in a bid ot stimulate rapid growth.

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.