Supernal has revealed its first full-scale mockup of the eVTOL air taxi it aims to bring to market in 2028. The Hyundai subsidiary is showcasing the four-passenger S-A2 aircraft this week at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where the company has constructed a vertiport exhibition to give show attendees a taste of the urban air mobility experience. 

As part of Airbus’ ongoing efforts to advance automation in commercial aviation, the aircraft manufacturer’s Acubed innovation center in Silicon Valley has now collected data on more than 100 airports across the United States. The massive data collection campaign, which began in California in 2019 and expanded to the eastern U.S. last year, will help to enable autonomous flight through artificial intelligence and machine learning, according to Airbus. 

Atlantic Aviation, which operates a chain of 100 FBOs at airports across the U.S., has become the latest business aviation support provider to install electric charging stations. The company has partnered with eVTOL aircraft developer Beta Technologies to install its "charge cube" equipment in at least four locations to support air taxi services and other electric aviation requirements.

Clay Lacy Aviation's FBO at John Wayne Airport in Orange County is set to be the first facility in Southern California with electric charging infrastructure for eVTOL air taxis. The company is partnering with Joby Aviation to install the technology developed by the eVTOL aircraft manufacturer to be universally available across the industry.

Surf Air Mobility says its proposed conversion of the Cessna Caravan turboprop aircraft to electric propulsion could open up new regional routes by cutting operating costs by up to 50 percent for airlines like Safarilink and Yellow Wings Air Services. However, the timeline for bringing the new versions of the nine-passenger aircraft to market remains unclear as the company has yet to confirm its partners for electric motors and other elements of the conversion program.

Suzuki releases more funding in equity deal with eVTOL developer SkyDrive, Germany's Fraport backs Lilium's plans for vertiports, ZeroAvia teams with ScottishPower to provide hydrogen fuel at UK airports, and GKN says additive manufacturing will cut component waste by 80 percent.

Regent is looking to transform transportation in coastal areas with its 12-passenger Viceroy wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) sea glider. In this video, co-founder and CEO Billy Thalheimer sheds some light on the recipe for its secret-sauce technology, explaining how the vehicle's special configuration allows it to operate in three modes: floating on its hull near a dock, foiling on hydrofoils at slow speeds (up to 40 knots), and flying at high speeds (up to 160 knots) just a few meters above the water while cruising. According to Regent, its sea gliders will operate up to six times faster than conventional ferries.

The technology represents somewhat of a cross between a traditional seaplane and a hovercraft, although sea gliders cannot hover. Whereas a cushion of pressurized air under downward-facing propellers supports hovercraft, WIGs have forward-facing propellers that direct airflow beneath the craft, creating pressure to provide lift while simultaneously reducing lift-induced drag.