In a sign that it is embracing an electric aviation future, New York City hosted public flight demonstrations of eVTOL aircraft developed by Joby and Volocopter at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport this week. On November 12, Joby’s preproduction prototype aircraft became the first eVTOL air taxi to fly in the city, and on November 13 Volocopter followed up with a demonstration of its 2X prototype. 

Bangalore could be an early adopter of eVTOL air services in India based on a new partnership between Eve Air Mobility and Hunch Mobility, which plans to acquire up to 200 of Eve’s four-passenger aircraft. Eve is also now working with vertiport developer Kookiejar and its local partner Air Chateau on plans to develop infrastructure in the UAE.

After becoming Lilium's Middle East authorized dealer for the four-passenger Pioneer Edition of the Lilium Jet, ArcosJet has committed to acquiring 10 of the aircraft with deliveries due to be made in 2026 and 2027. At the Dubai Airshow, Lilium also announced that Michelin will develop and manufacture tires for its eVTOL aircraft, while InoBat will provide batteries.

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California-based eVTOL developer Archer Aviation has partnered with InterGlobe Enterprises—the holding company for India's largest airline, IndiGo—to launch and operate air taxi services in India using Archer's four-passenger Midnight eVTOL aircraft. Archer and InterGlobe plan to enlist some “select in-country business partners” to finance and build vertiport infrastructure, train pilots and other personnel, and operate the Midnight in India, with initial routes launching in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. As part of the agreement, InterGlobe will purchase up to 200 Midnight aircraft from Archer.

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is backing AMSL Aero’s plans to develop a hydrogen-powered version of its Vertiia eVTOL aircraft with a AU$5.43 million ($3.45 million) grant. The award will help to fund the development of a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain for the aircraft's electric propulsion system, which produces zero emissions.

Japanese eVTOL aircraft developer SkyDrive says a Setouchi Islands tourism association has agreed to purchase an unspecified number of the company’s three-seat air taxis for commercial use. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Okayama Kurashiki Mizushima Aero & Space Industry Cluster Study Group (MASC), in which they pledged to collaborate on the development of commercial eVTOL operations in Japan’s Setouchi Islands, a group of thousands of small islands in the Seto Inland Sea. 

Skyryse has achieved the first-ever fully automated autorotation landing with its modified Robinson R66 helicopter. The R66 testbed was equipped with Skyryse’s highly automated flight control system, called FlightOS, which the company says will reduce pilot workload in a variety of aircraft, including helicopters, fixed-wing airplanes, and eVTOL air taxis. 

Wright Electric flies converted hybrid-electric crop-spraying aircraft; Ampaire takes its Electric EEL technology demonstrator to the heart of Silicon Valley; Moya signs up MineToo for its autonomous eVTOL; Anra launches Vertiport Management System; Skyportz unveils a "vertistop" concept for property developers; and Air Nostrum commits to electric propulsion conversion kits.

Manhattan's Downtown Heliport was the scene for an extraordinary show of strength from promotors of urban air mobility on November 13 as Joby demonstrated its four-passenger eVTOL aircraft for dignitaries including New York City Mayor Eric Adams and mass-media representatives. Volocopter also flew its two-passenger technology demonstrator and Beta Technologies was on hand with its recharging cube. One takeaway from AIN's reporter was that just about all the invited guests had no previous awareness of this new mode of transportation. It was a great opportunity to demonstrate the far lower noise levels of electric aircraft in a city that is largely hostile to helicopters.