Hydrogen Partners Britten-Norman and Cranfield Pause Planned Merger

Britten-Norman and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) have “paused” the merger they announced earlier this year. The UK companies say they will continue to work together to develop a hydrogen-powered version of Britten-Norman’s Islander family of nine-seat utility aircraft under what they now describe as a “strategic partnership agreement.”

Completion of the merger, which had been anticipated to occur over the summer, was expected to release the remaining tranche of £10 million ($12.3 million) of new capital. The merged company had planned a Series B funding round to raise another £30 million. 

CAeS aims to have a technology demonstrator aircraft ready to start flight testing by the end of 2024 and already has an Islander aircraft at its development center. It is targeting certification to be ready to start deliveries in 2026 and has already logged some provisional sales from prospective regional airline customers.

Volatus and Ace VTOL Plan 700 Vertiports in Oceania

Volatus Infrastructure & Energy Solutions and its partner Ace VTOL have ambitious plans to build as many as 700 vertiports in the Oceania region. The Wisconsin-based vertiport developer and Australian eVTOL aircraft developer formed a joint venture last month to collaborate on urban air mobility infrastructure in Australia. 

In a statement released on September 25, the partners announced their intent to build a network of vertiports and charging stations across the greater Oceania region. They are also collaborating on the development of a wheelchair-accessible, solar-powered lift to help passengers onto and off of the electric air taxis. 

Singapore Start-Up Taps SITA for Urban Air Traffic Management Solution

Heron Airbridge, a Singapore-based tech start-up that offers uncrewed air traffic management (UTM) solutions for drones, is working with Swiss air transport information technology specialist SITA to develop solutions in a joint effort to provide urban air mobility infrastructure in Singapore. 

The proof-of-concept agreement aims to fuse Heron Airbridge’s UTM solutions with SITA’s vertiport management system to create “a first minimum viable product that will enable dynamic real-time data exchanges between the vertiport system, the eVTOL operators, and the UTM from the flight scheduling phase to the time of the actual flight operation,” Heron Airbridge said in a statement. 

Terra Drone Enters Agricultural Sector with New Subsidiary

Japanese uncrewed aircraft group Terra Drone is entering the agriculture market by acquiring established player Avirtech as the basis for a new subsidiary called Terra Drone Agri. Avirtech provides drones for crop spraying and mapping services in Southeast Asia. Tokyo-based Terra Drone is looking to expand its activities in Malaysia and Indonesia.

In those countries, Avirtech treats more than 200,000 hectares of land, applying artificial intelligence to its mapping process to operate the drones efficiently. It claims to have achieved a 30 percent reduction in operating costs while supporting palm oil farmers and plantation operators to minimize crop failures.

Terra Drone is expanding its mainly urban-based uncrewed aircraft business to support agricultural functions such as crop-spraying. (Image: Terra Drone)

Bye Aerospace Reports Milestone in FAA Certification Process for eFlyer Aircraft

Bye Aerospace says the FAA has accepted its “functional hazard analysis” as part of the type certification process for its eFlyer 2 electric aircraft. According to the Colorado-based company, the agency’s sign-off for the analysis builds on its earlier confirmation of the certification basis for the two-seat aircraft under its Part 23 Amendment 64 rules.

The eFlyer 2 is mainly being aimed at flight training organizations looking to reduce carbon emissions. Bye Aerospace is also developing the four-seat eFlyer 4 and the nine-seat eFlyer 800. The aircraft will be powered by Safran’s EngineUs electric motors.

Bye Aerospace's eFlyer 2 aircraft is mainly intended for flight training use. (Image: Bye Aerospace)

Italian and U.S. Start-ups Enter Race To Build Vertiports 

Energy-distribution group Mieeg and vertiport developer eVertiSky have launched a partnership to exploit opportunities in the advanced air mobility sector. The companies announced their collaboration after signing a memorandum of understanding covering research and development work on September 19.

Italy-based Mieeg says it will offer a new type of “energy generator” to support new aircraft with fuel produced from methane and hydrogen. It says the production process will use carbon-reducing processes involving wastewater, and solar and wind power. Its new partner, eVertiFly, is based in Chicago.