Europe is extending its lead in building the regulatory foundations for advanced air mobility with the expected release this week by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency of its draft operating and licensing rules for electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and their pilots.
Virgin Orbit is targeting September for the first of two launches this year from the UK’s new spaceport in Cornwall, a mission that will mark the first rocket launch from British soil and the first commercial launch from Western Europe.
Yet many of those companies are small- and medium-size businesses and finding the time and money is a serious hurdle for them, industry observers warn.
Advanced air mobility publicly held companies are staying the course for a startup industry—a roller coaster that saw the average price increase by 15.8% a week ago and then fall by 19.8% this week.
Airbus and Munich Airport, already partners in Germany’s Air Mobility Initiative, are to market turnkey solutions to cities and regions globally interested in developing advanced air mobility ecosystems.