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Airbus Unveils Plans for Larger, Fixed-wing eVTOL Aircraft

The European aerospace group has finally showed its hand for the advanced air mobility market after several years of studies with the Vahana and CityAirbus technology demonstrators.

The design for the CityAirbus NewGen eVTOL aircraft has a fixed wing but with no moving surfaces or tilting parts. It will carry four passengers on flights of up to around 50 miles when it enters service in 2025, the European aerospace group announced on September 21 at its sustainability summit in Toulouse.

Brazilian Airline Gol To Launch Commercial Services with Vertical Aerospace eVTOL Aircraft

Up to 250 of the four-passenger aircraft ordered by leasing group Avolon are to be operated in commercial services across Brazil starting in 2024.

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.

Flight Booking Platform Helipass Commits to 50,000 eVTOL Charter Flight Hours

In an agreement with Eve Urban Air Mobility Solutions, Helipass will market at least 50,000 flight hours in its Electrical Vertical Aircraft through its network of helicopter operators.

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.

Ascendance Raises Capital For Atea Hybrid Electric Aircraft

The French start-up has raised €10 million towards the cost of certifying its four-passenger Atea fixed-wing design by 2025, with a first flight now projected for 2024.

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.

GKN Will Make Wings and Wiring for Vertical's eVTOL Aircraft

GKN Aerospace has produced wings for leading commercial airliners such a the Airbus A350 and also has extensive experience with complex wiring systems.

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).

Helicopter Charter Booking Platform Seeks Place in eVTOL Air Taxi Market

The founders of the GetHeli flight booking platform want a piece of the eVTOL air taxi pie, but first they are trying to fix an antiquated helicopter charter market.

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.

Advanced Air Mobility to Have Higher Profile At NBAA's Business Aviation Trade Show

Several eVTOL aircraft developers will exhibit at the NBAA's Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas from October 12-14.

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 Wins Backing from Hyundai for Network of Ground Hubs

The UK start-up will build 65 of its compact "urban air ports" in partnership with eVTOL developer Hyundai, as part of wider plans to build 200 landing sites worldwide.

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.

Heli-Eastern Starts Trial Operations with EHang's EH216 eVTOL in China

The business aircraft operator will conduct extensive flight trials with EHang's EH216 autonomous eVTOL aircraft and its Bell 206 helicopters as part of a pilot program approved by Chinese authorities.

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.

Spirit of Innovation Aircraft Makes First Flight as It Prepares for World Speed Record Attempt

The single-seat light aircraft is powered by a 400-kW electric powertrain and a high-power-density battery pack that is expected to support speeds in excess of 300 mph.

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.