Under an agreement with Electra, helicopter group Bristow is to add 50 new eSTOL fixed-wing aircraft to its fleet starting in 2026. Bristow will help the start-up to bring the model to market, providing input on design as well as customer and regulatory requirements. It views middle-mile cargo deliveries as one of the most promising areas of demand for the hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing aircraft.

Eve Urban Air Mobility has begun cooperating with commercial partners and government entities in Brazil for the development of a concept of UAM operations in Rio de Janeiro, where the Embraer subsidiary plans to conduct demonstrations using conventional helicopters by the end of the year. The company is developing a four-passenger eVTOL aircraft that it expects to enter commercial service in 2026.

Carbon-reducing propulsion solutions like sustainable aviation fuel and battery-based electric power reduce aviation's dependence on fossil fuels, but proponents of hydrogen power say they can achieve the ultimate zero-carbon objective for the air transport sector. According to innovators like Universal Hydrogen, HyPoint, and ZeroAvia, they could get converted aircraft into commercial service as early as 2025.

In two weeks of flight testing for NASA's Advanced Air Mobility National Campaign, engineers will collect noise readings from Joby's eVTOL aircraft as it takes off, flies overhead, and lands. The company and NASA will assess the noise levels, comparing these with recordings made in urban environments to assess the impact of operations such as air taxis and freight deliveries.

Advanced air mobility ground infrastructure Skyportz has forged an alliance with Australian helicopter operator Microflite to support the introduction of new electric aircraft for applications including air taxi services, medical support, and freight deliveries. The companies will look to support other prospective eVTOL and eSTOL aircraft operators and develop an ecosystem to further the expansion of the new mode of transportation across the country.

InfiniDome's GPS resilience technology mitigates the impact of GPS signals getting jammed, and this capability will now be combined with navigation sensors that avionics group Honeywell is providing for eVTOL aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems. The new capability could be available on the market during the first half of 2022.

On September 10, shareholders are expected to approve the proposed merger between German eVTOL startup Lilium and special purpose acquisition company Qell, and this will lead to a flotation on the New York Stock Exchange. The company has nominated directors for its board, which is to be chaired by former Airbus CEO Thomas Enders. These include airline executive David Neeleman, who is chair of Brazilian airline Azul, which in August placed a provisional order for 220 of Lilium's eVTOL aircraft.

Chinese eVTOL aircraft manufacturer EHang had planned to hold an open day for investors at its new production facility in Yunfu on August 18. Unfortunately, new Covid travel restrictions forced the event to be canceled, so the company has released this video to show how the 24,000-sq-m (258,000- sq-ft) site has been operating since it opened in June. The purpose-built factory in Guangdong province includes components manufacturing and aircraft assembly capability, as well as a research and development facility and a training center.

At Yunfu, EHang intends to build both its two-seat, fully autonomous EH216 eVTOL aircraft and the larger and longer-range VT-30 lift-plus-cruise model. Both models can be seen in the newly released video.

Bye Aerospace is developing the eFlyer family of electric-powered light fixed-wing aircraft for a variety of applications, including flight training and air taxi services. It has seen strong demand with a flurry of early commitments from would-be operators signing provisional purchase agreements.