Joby Aviation rolled out the first electric air taxi assembled at its pilot production line in Marina, California on Wednesday, and the company announced that it received a special airworthiness certificate from the FAA, clearing the so-called “production prototype” for its first flight tests. 

Germany-based Lilium says it is now the first eVTOL aircraft developer to hold the G-1 type certification basis clearance from both EASA in Europe and the U.S. air safety regulator. After Lilium and EASA provide the FAA with further information about the type certification process for the six-passenger Lilium Jet, the U.S. agency will publish the G-1 issue paper for public consultation. Lilium now aims to complete EASA type certification by the end of 2025, with concurrent FAA approval expected to follow under the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement.

Volocopter is pressing hard to complete EASA type certification for its two-seat VoloCity aircraft in time to operate commercial flights between five vertiports in and around the French capital in the summer of 2024. Under a new agreement with airports group ADP, China-based AutoFlight will also demonstrate its Prosperity I vehicle on flights from a vertiport at Pontoise, in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, albeit with no passengers on board.

A 600-kilowatt turbogenerator based on Safran's Arrano turboshaft engine will provide electrical power for Electra's hybrid-electric, short-takeoff-and-landing (HeSTOL) prototype that is planned to fly in 2025. Safran Helicopter Engines will also provide the aircraft's power management system.

Japanese electric aircraft developer SkyDrive plans to manufacture its eVTOL air taxi in a factory owned by car maker Suzuki Motor Corporation, the company said last week during the Paris Air Show. It also announced that avionics specialist Thales will provide the aircraft's flight controls. 

Swiss eVTOL aircraft developer Dufour Aerospace has released the final design for its hybrid-electric Aero 2 cargo drone after successfully flying its third-generation prototype for the first time. The new prototype, which Dufour calls the X2.2, made its first short hover flights at Dübendorf airfield near Zurich in early June. 

Global Partner Solutions will develop the supply chain for the manufacturing of Jaunt's Journey eVTOL aircraft and plans to use local Quebec-based companies. Jaunt aims to complete type certification in 2027 for a four-passenger electric vehicle with a range of between 80 and 120 miles, based on its fixed-wing and rotor configuration.

Japan-based urban planner SkyScape says vertiport developers need to focus on making networks of eVTOL aircraft landing sites as effective as possible, while also ensuring that the infrastructure and air services they support deliver tangible benefits to communities.

Electric air taxi developer Volocopter has successfully conducted its first flight trials in Saudi Arabia, the German company announced last week during the Paris Air Show. According to Volocopter, that marked the first time that an eVTOL aircraft received special flight authorization in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Volocopter is collaborating with Neom, a government-backed development project in Saudi Arabia’s Tabuk province, to introduce urban air mobility services to the region in 2024. The company behind Neom is an investor in Volocopter.

As a so-called “smart city,” Neom is expected to run entirely on renewable energy sources in a country that has built the majority of its vast wealth on oil. When Volocopter and Neom announced their joint venture in 2021, Neom officials placed a provisional order for 15 Volocopter eVTOL aircraft, including 10 of the two-seat VoloCity model and five of Volocopter’s fully autonomous VoloDrone cargo-carrying model.