U.S.-based satellite communications provider Viasat on Nov. 8 announced a definitive agreement to acquire UK-based Inmarsat in a transaction valued at $7.3 billion that would create an unrivaled, multiband space and terrestrial network serving aviation, maritime and other markets.
The family of Energia-branded concepts—with all-electric, hybrid-electric or hydrogen-fueled propulsion for low emissions and noise—are aimed to enter into service between 2030 and 2040.
The Canadian Advanced Air Mobility Consortium (CAAM) has released a report on the potential of Toronto as an early market as it works toward releasing a national road map for Canada.
Swiss startup Dufour Aerospace has launched a tiltwing unmanned cargo aircraft as a step toward development of its planned Aero3 passenger-carrying electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft
Barely a month after completing a $100 million series A fundraising round, Chinese startup Autoflight has flown a prototype of its V1500M three/four-passenger electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing air taxi.
There are oh-so-many technological challenges remaining for the creators of the electric motors, engines and vehicles that will begin to fly under the banner of advanced air mobility.
Hydrogen-propulsion startup ZeroAvia has partnered with the Royal Schiphol Group to launch zero-emission commercial passenger flights between Rotterdam The Hague Airport and London with a 19-seat aircraft in 2024.
Wing is expanding its drone delivery operations from smaller towns into more complex urban areas with plans to begin on-demand store-to-door deliveries in metropolitan Dallas-Fort Worth.
In July 2019, research and development center Tecnalia in Spain’s Basque region conducted tethered indoor test flights of the prototype of an unusual “drone of drones” design for an autonomous air taxi. Now Spanish unmanned aircraft services provider Umiles has acquired the design from Tecnalia with the goal of producing the first 100% domestically developed electric-vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) vehicle.
Startup ZeroAvia has partnered with Mitsubishi’s CRJ support division, MHI RJ Aviation, to develop hydrogen-electric propulsion for regional jets, aiming for market availability in 2028.
Airflow has signed a memorandum of understanding with Honeywell to explore use of the avionics manufacturer’s IntuVue RDR-84K compact multimode radar for detect-and-avoid on its planned electric short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.
Singapore-headquartered H3 Dynamics has closed a $26 million funding round to develop hydrogen-powered unmanned aircraft for longer-range parcel and cargo delivery.
Aircraft finance and asset management company Amedeo has entered a strategic partnership with Aura Aero that includes a letter of intent to purchase 200 of the French startup’s planned 19-seat ERA hybrid-electric regional aircraft.
Backed by Chinese electric car maker XPeng, startup HT Aero has reached agreement to raise more than $500 million to develop an integrated flying and driving vehicle.
With investors including Alaska Air Group, UP.Partners has closed a $230 million early stage venture capital fund dedicated to supporting companies enabling future mobility.
Honda made the top 20 list of advanced air mobility vehicle manufacturers in the latest AAM Reality Index rankings, sliding into the 13th position based on plans to build out a mobility ecosystem centered on electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles.
Developments in electric vertical takeoff and landing and hybrid-powered aircraft continue to gain momentum, and the assertion is that there will be an impact on business aviation. But what is this projected impact going to be?
The British Business General Aviation Association (BBGA) says business aviation demand has already surpassed prepandemic levels in parts of the UK, but challenges remain, ranging from lingering Brexit-related issues to tackling sustainability.
