Vancouver-based rotorcraft operator Helijet has agreed to buy up to eight of the five-passenger Alia eVTOL aircraft, with plans to operate these in southwestern British Columbia and the wider Pacific Northwest region from 2026. The Canadian province's carbon tax has created a strong incentive for aircraft operators to consider switching to electric propulsion.

European Medical Drone this week became the second Dufour customer to commit to starting trial operations with an early prototype of its Aero2 tiltwing utility aircraft. With new partners, Dufour is expanding its production capacity to meet demand and says it is on track to start series production of the 40-kilogram payload hybrid-electric vehicle in 2026.

TCab Tech has ambitions to be the first company to achieve type certification for a tiltrotor eVTOL aircraft in China, following on from EHang's success with its multicopter vehicle. Meanwhile, another Chinese start-up, AutoFlight, has introduced a firefighting version of its eVTOL design, as Chinese national and regional government agencies step up their support and financial backing for the country's advanced air mobility sector.

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ARC Aerosystems took its C-600 VTOL drone to the far north of Scotland where it is working with partners including Highlands and Islands Airports to improve transportation links between rural communities. The flight trial at Wick John O'Groats Airport was conducted as part of the Sustainable Aviation Test Environment, which has backing from Innovate UK.

Vman Aviation Services is betting that India's growing population and strained transportation infrastructure provide an ideal launch pad for Lyte Aviation's planned LA-44 SkyBus hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft. The lessor has agreed to buy 10 of the 40-seater tandem tiltwing aircraft, which the manufacturer says has a projected range of 1,000 kilometers and will be able to operate from 40-square-meter landing pads.

Beta Technologies’ Alia prototype has completed a 2,000-mile journey from Vermont to Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle, where the U.S. Air Force’s 413th Squadron will use the electric fixed-wing airplane for hands-on experimentation and training.

Lilium appoints Dubai-based broker ArcosJet as its fifth eVTOL aircraft dealership; plus Vertical Aerospace assigns more actuation system work to Hanwha for the VX4 eVTOL vehicle; Universal Hydrogen seeks to decarbonize airports with fuel cell rechargers for ground support equipment; Rolls-Royce's Spirit of Innovation electric aircraft now parked at London's Science Museum; and EHang opens an urban air mobility center in Spain.

Mayman Aerospace recently received a $2 million U.S. Department of Defense grant to support work on its Speeder Air Utility Vehicle. The California start-up, which made its name developing jetpacks, has attracted a lot of interest from the Pentagon, which envisages the Speeder being used for high-risk applications such as rescuing injured troops trapped behind enemy lines. It previously received funding through the U.S. Air Force Afwerx program. During this year's Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, AIN's video news team caught up with the Mayman team to find out what all the excitement is about.